The Plains of Daluram
by Mike Stormm
Summary: Daluram, a realm full of demons and savage beasts. In order to save Jump City from a mysterious foe, the Titans must first save this violent world. Stars Titans and Blackfire. Be sure to check out the sequel, Blackluck Angel.
1. Chapter 1: Family Ties

**Disclaimer:** Teen Titans and all its characters, names, etc. are the intellectual property of its respective owners. I do not claim ownership over Teen Titans or anything within it. Though I wish I could...cause that would just be awesome. The newly created characters, however, are my intellectual property. **  
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**Prologue: The Exodus**

**Entry #1712**

Drugan is dead - another recon group just outside of Zarcon spotted us and we were forced to abandon our position. Drugan's vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure as they gave chase…I could not slow down to rescue him…they would've gotten us both. I cannot believe that I am the last one left. Can I finish this on my own? Drugan was the genius behind the device; I simply had the resources and technical expertise to construct it. Alas, the library will likely be burnt down before I can get a chance to return, which means I will have to go with what knowledge we managed to record in our three day stay. Such a wealth of history now all contained within my computer's databanks. Will it be enough? Will we find the answers that we look for? I pray to whatever merciful god is still paying attention to our forgotten race that I can do this on my own…before they find me again.

**Entry #1722**

I believe I may have found an answer to my questions. My research is pointing me towards a revolution that occurred many, many centuries ago. The computer simulations look promising but there are still too many variables to take into account. How would I be able to avert such a large-scale disaster? The patrols have been drawing ever closer and I fear I may have to abandon this post as well. I only have two other bases in reserve apart from this one…if they make it to the last one all my hopes are gone with it.

**Entry #1762**

This is the end of my journey. Win or lose I cannot run any further. There are simply no places left for me to hide where I can continue my work. The prototype has simply gotten too large for me to transport anymore and there is simply too much data to carry with me now. I now take refuge in the last bastion of my hope. Lord it has grown more and more difficult to maintain my sanity now. It is so quiet without Drugan…at least with one other person I could talk to somebody. Now I find myself talking to myself just to keep myself sane. Some days…I wake up thinking that Drugan will be there with another cup of his near nauseating tea. At least it kept us going though…I wish I had gotten the recipe from him before he died.

**Entry #1801**

I cannot believe it! I believe I have found an answer. The simulation has given me positive result after positive result every single time. Can I truly save them all this way? Well…no, not everybody. I will be forced to make some difficult choices but if this is what it takes to save us all, then that is what I must do. I do not relish this decision…it is unlikely anyone will appreciate what I will do either. I will likely be branded the worst villain that has ever existed…and they will never know what could have been if I hadn't acted the way I did. It does not matter; when this is done I doubt I will even exist anymore…at least not in the same fashion. Now that I have narrowed it down, I must make sure I can calibrate the machine to bring me to my destination. This is the part where Drugan would've come in handy…

**Entry #1819**

This is it…I can hear them pounding on the doors out front. I have put up as many barricades as I can in hopes that it will slow them down but…no! It is too soon. The device is not ready. If I go now…I do not know where I will wind up or if it will even work. But giving their usual nature, I doubt it will take them much longer than five minutes to get to me…and another ten or twelve seconds to rip me limb from limb afterwards. I see I have only two options left – death or the unknown. At least in the unknown I stand a chance at accomplishing my mission. The machine has already been rigged so that once I go through it will self-destruct along with this entire installation so that they cannot follow me. I will take this journal with me so that I can keep track of my journey.

From the sounds of it, the main doors have just been breached. They are faster than I have expected. Perhaps they know what I am trying to do now. They cannot stop me now. Into the unknown…

**Entry #1820**

No! I cannot believe what has happened. I am nowhere near my destination. From my calculations, I have not only missed my destination by a bit…I have overshot it by several thousand millennia. The atmosphere here is harsh…it is difficult to breath. I will not be able to survive here for more than a few days like this…let alone to the time I need to be at. There is one possibility but it so very risky. I have never attempted it before…neither has Drugan. I do not know if any person has succeeded in fact. But it is my only shot. It will be the only chance I have for saving humanity. How ironic…to save humanity, the last human must give up his. When I do this, I will no longer be able to use this journal. I will leave it somewhere safe so that perhaps people in the future will be able to find it and know what I did.

* * *

**Chapter One: Family Ties**

**The sun began to creep over the horizon, bathing the waking world in its warm glow heralding in a brand new day.** The sunlight lit up the face of the towering 'T' that stood vigilant overlooking Jump City, flooding the living room with its morning glow. Unlike most mornings in the Titan Tower, the living room was already occupied by some of its inhabitants – slumbering but occupying nonetheless. At that hour in the morning, a number of the channels had not started their daily broadcasting and as such the large screen television was nothing more than a series of coloured vertical bars and a gentle humming sound that was reminiscent of simple white noise. Upon the couch, two of the Titans were huddled close together in a very peaceful slumber. It was Starfire and Robin, who had been up late the night before watching a movie before drifting asleep about three quarters of the way through it. The other Titans had been kind enough, for a change, to leave them undisturbed despite the fact that Starfire was practically laying atop of Robin on the couch.

If it were a typical morning, the pair would likely have remained in their state until one of the other Titans, most likely Beast Boy, would break the silence by barging into the living room like a wild elephant, figuratively and, on occasion, literally as well. However, since the pair had so carelessly left the television running over night and with the volume increased to a significant level, they would receive an awakening that would make them grateful for one by Beast Boy.

Perhaps somewhere, a television programmer would be chuckling to himself. For the program that started off the stations broadcasting day happened to be historical documentary on the Wild West, which trumpeted its debut with exactly that – a very, very loud trumpeting. Starfire let out a startled yelp as she fell of the couch in her panic. Robin, on the other hand, merely yawned as he groggily woke up as if oblivious to the high-pitched noise in the background.

"Man…what time is it Star?" Robin groaned, rubbing one eye as he sat up slowly. From her place on the ground, Starfire reached up and grabbed the remote control off the couch and slammed the off button for the television, restoring the tranquility once again.

"It is time for me to resume sleep," Starfire retorted, still a little irritated from the rude awakening. Starfire drifted slowly out of the room, but promptly halted halfway from her destination and glanced to the large window that overlooked the bay.

"Is…something wrong Star?"

"For a moment…I felt as though we were being watched," she answered, causing Robin to glance to the window in curiosity. However, there was nothing out there that wasn't supposed to be there.

"Maybe it's just your imagination…" Robin concluded, as there was no evidence to the contrary. "I'll go take a look outside though." Since he was up, he might as well do something and it wasn't like Starfire made comments like that every day. Who knows, maybe she had a sort of sixth sense about these sorts of things. It wasn't like Robin knew a great deal about Tamaraneans. Starfire merely smiled softly in response, appreciative of Robin's actions. She figured it was likely nothing but one could never be too cautious.

The two Titans went their separates – Starfire to her room and Robin up to the rooftop. Robin had to admit that he had a similar feeling of being observed but he regularly had such feelings and rarely paid any attention to them. Sometimes it felt as if he were being watched by a large collection of higher beings that existed outside of his realm of perspective…but that was just absurd.

* * *

"Who'd be crazy enough to be spying through our window?" Robin continued muttering comments to nobody as he finally reached the rooftop of the Titan Tower. To no surprise, nothing was out of the ordinary on the rooftop though that wasn't enough to fully satisfy the Boy Wonder. He headed over the railing and took a glance down the side of the building to check if anybody was hanging outside the living room window. Aside from a slight sense of vertigo, he found nothing outside the window as well. Now that was enough for satisfy his curiosity as he concluded that the Titan Tower was secure as always. 

That sense of security, however, was soon shattered like a chucked beer bottle. Upon heading back inside, Robin found a white envelope taped to the door leading back inside the Tower. Robin just stared at the envelope for a moment, wondering if his imagination was acting up on him again and if that were there when he got on the roof initially. Just to add to the disturbing factor, 'Starfire' was written across the front of the envelope accompanied by the words 'for her eyes only'.

Cautiously, Robin peeled the envelope free from the tape and examined the exterior of the envelope. "Well…this is new…" he remarked as he was uncertain what to make of the piece of mail. Robin felt a little conflicted now – there was the definite possibility that the sender might have less than friendly intentions for Starfire receiving the letter, at which point it'd be in the team's best interest for him to open right now and confront any dangers right now. On the other hand…it was also possible that it's legitimate and then Robin would just be intruding on Starfire's privacy and god knows that Robin didn't want to aggravate his teammate. It could be worse…it could've been addressed to Raven. He couldn't just ignore the blatant risk that the letter possessed. It could be laced with some sort of toxin…or worse! Wait, what's worse than that?

"Perhaps I could just erase the second part…" Robin pondered as he examined the envelope closer. No such luck…it was ink. It would be a few hours before anyone else would wake up, giving Robin sufficient time to try and deduce the nature of the letter. All he needed to do was make sure that the letter was safe…as long as Starfire doesn't know what harm would come from it? Sure he was not proud of what he was going to have to do, but it was for the safety of the team. Obviously no ordinary person dropped this mail off.

* * *

"Damn…they must've put a piece of thick paper…" Robin groaned in defeat, holding the envelope up a lamp to try and make out some of the text on the paper held within. However, something inside was obscuring the light and preventing any details from getting through. It was almost as if the person knew one of the Titans would try something like this. "Wait a minute…Robin what are you doing? It's just a letter and it's not even yours. Why am I trying to spy on it by using a stupid lamp? Hm…maybe I could use the x-ray device. No, no…that'd wake Cyborg up. If only I could get this blasted sealant off…aha! Steam - it always worked in those movies." 

Robin hopped off the couch and headed for the kitchen. It was the perfect plan – he'd steam off the glue, check the letter to see if it was safe, and then simply claim it came like that. Starfire would never know the difference.

He checked the time after he put the kettle on and turned on the element. It was still pretty early but time was going to be scarce soon. He just hoped that Starfire didn't come back to check up on Robin. Just to avoid suspicion, he kept the lights off in the kitchen while he waited for the kettle to finish. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, but was actually about ten minutes, a gentle cloud of steam began to rise from the kettle's spout. Now all that was required was diligence – if he steamed in the wrong place it could cause the ink to run or just take longer than necessary.

But then the lights suddenly clicked on.

"GAH!" Two voices shouted in shock with Robin spinning about to see Raven standing at the doorway with an equally surprised look on her face. It was too early for anybody to still be seriously waking up and judging by the fact that Raven hadn't even changed into her daytime clothing, Robin could guess that she wasn't expecting him to be up either.

"Uh…morning Raven."

"Robin."

"What are you doing up this early?"

"What are you doing boiling water in the dark…and with a sealed envelope in your hand?"

"What are you doing wearing pink bunny slippers?" There was a dead silence between the two as both of their eyes just drifted down to the pair of pink, fuzzy, animal-like footwear that Raven had on.

"I won't tell if you don't," Raven replied.

"Deal."

"I'll leave you to your work."

"Didn't you come here for something?"

"I've changed my mind," Raven said as she turned about and headed on her way out.

"They're pretty cute."

"And steaming doesn't work."

"What?" Robin looked back to the envelope and sure enough it hadn't opened. In fact, there appeared to be a new line of text along the lip of the envelope with the mocking words 'That doesn't work Robin' written across it. "Blast…heat-activated ink." Robin groaned in defeat once more. Perhaps this was more effort than was necessary. "Screw it I'm going back to sleep…" The letter was probably nothing important so he just left it on the counter for the others to find as he decided to just sleep off the last few hours of peace on the living room couch. What's the worse that could happen?

* * *

As if one rude awakening hadn't been enough for Robin, only a few hours after he had drifted back to sleep on the couch did he receive his second awakening from an unwanted source, this time from a quieter but much wetter source. A face-full of water quickly brought him back to the world of the conscious as he shot up from the couch. 

"Gah…what the heck was that for?" Robin barked as he shook some of the excess water off his face.

"You left the kettle on the stove, I figured this would help you remember for next time," Raven answered, holding the kettle in one hand and in the background both of them could hear Beast Boy laughing to himself over the prank. Robin tried to shrug it off even though he was a little bit annoyed over that. Glancing towards the kitchen, he saw Beast Boy and Cyborg working on breakfast.

"Um…is Starfire up yet?"

"I take it that the letter's for her?"

"Kinda."

"Where'd you find it?"

"On the roof."

"What did you find on the roof?" Starfire's voice perked up, diverting both Robin and Raven's attention to the just recently awoken Tamaranean just entering the living room. Robin fell silent immediately – this was not quite how he wanted to bring the subject up.

"I'll let you handle this one," Raven excused herself since she wasn't interested in getting caught between a possible argument between the two. She retreated to the relative safety of the kitchen to return the kettle to its rightful place.

"Um…yeah, I found a letter on the roof," Robin finally managed to explain as innocently as possible before pointing to the envelope on the nearby counter.

"A letter? I did not know the mailman delivered onto our roof…and on a Thursday…and so early," Starfire expressed her confusion. She picked up the envelope and examined it thoroughly. The heat-activated ink had already faded away once the temperature returned to normal. "This is not from the post office."

"Any idea who sent it?"

"I do not know. It has been such a long time since I have received a letter from anybody, especially one that was not addressed 'to whom it may concern'. Perhaps you should try opening it Robin. I remember those stories you told when people put bad things into the mail to hurt people from far away."

"I'm…sure it's nothing Star. It's probably just a letter from a fan. A very…strange fan but a fan nonetheless," Robin tried to ease Starfire's worries about the letter; even though he had expressed such concerns himself.

"Please open it Robin."

"It's addressed to your Star, it might have something very personal and private in there that I shouldn't be reading!"

"But who would be writing to me without even using proper postage? I have a bad feeling about this letter," she insisted, holding the letter out to Robin. However, instead of Robin taking the letter the metallic hand of Cyborg plucked the letter from Stafire's hand.

"I'll open it…since both of you seem to be too scared to bother with some fan mail," Cyborg remarked jokingly. He had easily overheard the exchange going on and had come out of the kitchen to investigate. His open involvement soon got Beast Boy's attention too. "Well it looks clean…and I'm not picking up any strange readings from it so let's see who's Starfire's newest fan."

"Who wants to bet she's got a new secret admirer?" Beast Boy chuckled as he sat on the couch to listen in. Cyborg promptly tore open the envelope and pulled the single sheet of paper out of it.

"Let's see…Dear Cyborg?" his tone indicated to his level of confusion since he read his name at the beginning even though the envelope was originally addressed to Starfire. "Thank you for finally opening the letter – I'm sure you were the only one with the guts to actually do it. Please tell Beast Boy that his jokes about stalkers or secret admirers are not funny."

"Seems like the writer knows us fairly well," Raven commented as she joined the other Titans in the living room.

"I'm sure that you're reading this letter out loud so could you please hand it over to Starfire who's probably been reading the letter over your shoulder." Cyborg continued dictating the letter but stopped when he reached the end of the sentence. He glanced over his shoulder and sure enough Starfire was hovering over him and reading the letter for herself. "Well who am I to argue with the letter?" Cyborg remarked and handed it over to Starfire. However, unlike Cyborg, Starfire remained silent as she continued to read the letter. The originally curious expression on her face shifted to one laced with concern and a hint of surprise as well. After a minute or two of dead silence her eyes finally drifted back to her teammates.

"It's from my sister."


	2. Chapter 2: Black Sheep

**Chapter Two: The Black Sheep**

**"Blackfire? **Why is she sending you a letter?" Robin was the first to respond to the news. All the other Titans, with the exception of Raven, were equally surprised by the news broken to them. "What'd she write?"

"Just that she is going to be finding a place to stay on Earth. Here…" Starfire said as she handed the letter over to Robin for him to read more thoroughly. The other three Titans gathered around Robin to join in on the reading.

_"Now that I have your attention Starfire, I'm sure you're wondering whom this is from. Well…you probably already knew from the handwriting on the envelope you just didn't want to admit that your dear sister is on Earth once again. I assure you that it is true and I'm going to be taking up residence on this little planet – you robbed me of my home, I figured it was only fair to make your home a little less enjoyable. Now don't panic just yet and don't give yourself that much credit. I'm on Earth more because I actually enjoyed this place not because I wanted to get back at you. Personally, I'd rather just get as far away from you as possible and forget about it…but this seems like a much more enjoyable option for me. Say 'hi' to the gang for me would you? That's all for now, I'll be seeing you all very shortly. Love, Blackfire"_

"So uh, what are we going to do?" Beast Boy finally spoke up after yet another lengthy period of silence.

"There's…not much we can do at the moment. It's not like she's done anything illegal yet, just made a very vague and idle threat," Robin answered as he tossed the letter onto the nearby coffee table. "Besides, I don't think we have anything to be worried about. After all, Starfire beat her one-on-one when Blackfire had that gem thing, there's no way that Blackfire can beat all five of us if she tried to start."

"True, but bear in mind she's already gotten inside the tower once before without any of us noticing and she just delivered a letter without getting spotted. She could just as easily do it again," Raven pointed out to the others. The first time Blackfire showed up she had gotten all the way into the living room without even so much as setting off an alarm. Cyborg nodded his agreement before all eyes turned to Starfire since this was her sister they were dealing with.

"I suppose it's your call what to do about this Star," Robin said, though Starfire wasn't certain of what to do about the situation either.

"Blackfire is of no concern," Starfire finally answered after a short pause to think about it. "If she wants to create trouble then let her, we will easily stop her when she does."

"If you don't mind me saying this out loud…"

"We mind everything you say out loud," Raven promptly interrupted Beast Boy, who just glared harshly back to Raven.

"As I was saying. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this…"

"That's usually the case."

"Okay, would you stop that Raven?" The other Titans couldn't help but chuckle under their breath. "Anyways…I was about to say that it seems like Blackfire is holding a much bigger grudge against you that just for the whole banishment thing. Nobody ever really asked but…why did she try to frame you the first time around?"

"Well…uh…" Starfire tried to answer but found difficulty getting the right words out. It had been a while since she has had to think about her sister. The rivalry between them was obvious but Starfire always had trouble understanding why that was the case. It seemed to be a lot more than just a regular sibling rivalry, which usually don't involve fights over sovereignty.

"Do you smell something burning?" Raven spoke up once more.

"Agh! The waffles!" Beast Boy and Cyborg shot up from the couch and bolted to the kitchen.

"I don't smell anything," Robin commented after taking a moment to smell the air.

"Neither did I, I just figured Starfire would prefer not to answer the question."

"That's correct. I…do not wish to discuss the topic of my sister at the moment. If you will both excuse me, I am going to get some fresh air," Starfire excused herself and headed out of the living room. Both Raven and Robin could tell that something was still amiss with their teammate, but neither of them was going to press further at the moment.

"Phew, just managed to save them," Beast Boy said triumphantly, smiling quite proudly to himself. "So without further ado, breakfast is served."

"That's great Beast Boy, um…Starfire won't be joining us. She said she wasn't feeling very hungry," Robin explained as he headed over to the dining table to eat.

"That just means more for us. What about Raven?"

"What do you mean what about Raven?" Robin asked as he glanced back to where Raven should've been only to find that he was the only other occupant. "I…guess she's not interested either." Robin thought it was unusual, even for Raven, to just disappear like that just before breakfast. Wherever she went, Robin figured that Raven knew what she was missing. He had a feeling that Starfire and Raven's departure was not an unrelated event.

* * *

Starfire retreated to the isolation of the rooftop. The others would be busy with breakfast for a while so that left plenty of time for Starfire to think things over. The letter was a…troubling turn of events despite what she told the others. She did not like having to fight her sister but it seemed to be an unavoidable turn of events. However, that was not the big thing that was on her mind, it was something else in the letter that was subtly placed so that only Starfire would understand the message. She leaned up against the railing and gazed out to the ocean before letting out a quiet sigh to herself. However, it was much sooner than she had expected when one of her teammates joined her on the roof – Raven.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" she asked calmly as she walked over to the railing and stood next to her.

"Which part?"

"You could start with the little part that was written on the back that the others didn't notice. Your sister made reference to something important tomorrow – what is it?"

"Tomorrow would be the anniversary of my parents' death. They died a long time ago and every year my sister and I would meet at their graves to pay our respects. Even when she was traveling around the galaxy when we were older, she always returned home on that day. This would be my first time I won't be home for it and I believe Blackfire is instead going to come to me just to continue the tradition."

"You sounded rather confident a few minutes ago about dealing with Blackfire. Were you just lying to us back then?"

"No. I know I can handle Blackfire if she tries to start a fight. The problem is I do not know if she will try to start a fight. If she really does wish to observe the anniversary it would be very disrespectful to treat her with hostilities…but I also do not wish to put my guard down and have her take advantage of the situation." Starfire was actually deeply concerned with this predicament. To treat her sister with hostility on such an important date felt like it would disrespecting her parents but she did not see her sister abiding by such a moral code. "What would you do Raven?"

"Personally I wouldn't trust your sister or even give her the opportunity. You two aren't really the best of pals after all."

"I know…it was not always like this. We used to get along so well when we were younger…"

"Or she could've just been bottling up her feelings up around you."

"What makes you say that?" Starfire asked curiously, since she didn't really consider any of the other Titans to know a great deal about her sister.

"I've listened to her poetry if you remember. Nobody that's open about their feelings would be able to produce poetry **that** dark. I figured it wasn't important at the time, but from I could interpret, she houses a lot of resentment towards you and pretty much everyone that she's known."

"I didn't realize that you had such skills of people Raven."

"I don't, your sister made it pretty obvious to me. I think she was actually beginning to like me."

"Did you like her more than me?"

"Back then? Probably would've if it weren't for the turn of events. But a lot of time has passed since then and I've…learned to appreciate you more." Starfire just stared at Raven for a moment with the sort of stare that a puppy gives a high-pitched noise. "That's a compliment if you haven't realized it yet."

"I did…I just did not expect one at this moment. Tell me Raven, if her poetry revealed some truth that she has not shown me, why is my sister so angry with me?"

"You honestly don't know?" Raven replied as she quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement. Starfire just shook her head in response. "Your sister is older than you and yet you were made next in line for the throne. Just think about it." Raven concluded their little 'chat' and headed back inside to leave the Tamaranean alone to her thoughts and to ultimately come up with her own decision about how to handle Blackfire.

Starfire remained on the rooftop for a few hours before finally returning to her room to continue thinking things over. For years Starfire thought she had her sister generally figured out but now it seemed that even Raven had a better understanding of Blackfire than her. But it couldn't have been as simple as Raven had put it…or could it? All the years that Starfire had known her sister, none of it would suggest that Blackfire was hateful towards Starfire over something so simple as the throne. It might have been one reason but Starfire was certain there still had to be more about it than Raven was telling her. It was entirely possible that Raven was just giving Starfire enough information so she would start the right chain of thought and figure things out on her own.

Unfortunately, all those hours of contemplation had left little time for Starfire to eat and her train of thought was rudely interrupted when her stomach sounded its protest.

"Perhaps something to eat will help make this process easier," Starfire sighed softly before she decided to head into the city to eat instead of just heading to the kitchen. She still needed some time on her own…plus she still didn't know how to tell Robin about what Blackfire might be planning tomorrow. She knew Robin wouldn't give Blackfire the benefit of the doubt, even for Starfire's sake, and that might make any possibility of a peaceful day difficult. Was it so foolish of her to be thinking that the possibility of reconciliation was still feasible?

* * *

"Why can't these decisions be simpler to make? I could try and show my sister that there is no reason to continue such hostilities against me and perhaps we could find a more peaceful solution to our…rivalry. But…she might just laugh at me and just start trouble anyways and then Robin and the others would get upset at me for even trusting my sister." Starfire had been debating the situation with herself for the better part of an hour at the small little dinner she had chosen to eat at. Thankfully there weren't many people there at the moment so there were not many people bothered by her constant debating. A large ice cream sundae sat on the table in front of her as the last course of her meal, though the debate had heated up in the past few minutes leaving her too preoccupied to eat once again.

"She has given me no reason to trust her. She has already tried to frame me for her crimes and marry me to a giant booger in order to get herself more power…but she has also done a lot for me when we were younger. She had always been there when I needed help…well almost always. Oh…I wish to trust my sister once more but all the reasons are telling me not to. I do not know what to do…" Starfire whispered in defeat, palming both hands over her face and sighed.

"My vote is go with your gut instincts but…well, my opinion might be a little biased," a familiar voice perked up, snapping Starfire's attention. She looked across the table to the new occupant sitting across from her.

"Komand'r!"

"I told you that I'd be seeing you soon," Blackfire smirked as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "I take it you've spent the past several hours struggling with this little debate?"

"I have. Do you really intend to pay respect to ours parents with me tomorrow?"

"No, I plan to use the day as an excuse to get close to you and your friends and when you drop your guard I plan to cause as much destruction as possible. Leaving you not only guilt-ridden for trusting me but conflicted about fighting me on the anniversary of our parents' deaths." Starfire just stared at Blackfire in disbelief for a moment before Blackfire just chuckled and grabbed a spoon to help herself to some of the sundae. "I'm just kidding sis. I'd be lying if I said that the thought hasn't crossed my mind once or twice but I have more respect for our parents than that."

"I am surprised sister. I was expecting you to be more…angry at me."

"Why? Cause you banished me from my home?"

"Well…yes."

"I am."

"Really?"

"Very much so."

"Then why are you not attempting to pummel me?"

"Because I'd lose and my pride is still recovering from the last bout. Besides…even if I did succeed in beating the daylights out of you, what would that accomplish me apart from an overwhelming sense of accomplishment?"

"You mean there was more to your previous actions that just revenge?"

There was a definite pause of silence, whether it was because Blackfire was eating some of the sundae or just absorbing Starfire's comments was unknown at the moment. "Your naivety never ceases to amaze me sis."

"Then what were your other motivations?"

Blackfire just shook her head slowly. "If I told you know, I would be robbing you of a very important life lesson and probably a few hours of amusement for myself. Besides, I believe you have a much more important topic to focusing your thoughts on."

"I do not believe the others would agree to it."

"They also don't understand you like I do sister. They don't realize how important this would be to you and I doubt they'd care how much it means to me as well. I know they're your friends but every so often you need to do what you believe is right for yourself."

"Do you really mean that?"

"I'm your sister, of course I do."

"That does not give me much reassurance."

"And it shouldn't. You have no real reason to trust me apart from the fact I've always respected our parents over our little rivalry." There was another pause of silence between the siblings as Starfire thought things over once more. Her sister did have a point, though an odd one at that. Blackfire was smart…she would know exactly what to say to get Starfire to agree with her, so it was a matter of tweezing out the manipulations from the truths. "By the way, what is this thing called anyways?"

"A chocolate fudge sundae."

"I could get used to this planet…"

* * *

"Robin, would it possible for me to have an exchange of words with you?" Starfire asked as she stood behind the couch where Robin was sitting. Robin was preoccupied with playing a game with Beast Boy but the moment he heard his friend's voice he paused the game and looked back to Starfire.

"Hey Star, when did you get back? What'd you want to talk about?"

"And could you two make it quick, I'm only three laps from beating Robin's butt for the third time in a row," Beast Boy added though the other two promptly ignored his request.

"I'm afraid I was not totally honest about my sister earlier today. I know I said that it was of no concern but it has been a very large one to me. I did not want to get you involved just yet because I needed to deal with this matter on my own."

"And what 'matter' would that be?" Robin asked, a bit curious and suspicious.

Starfire took a few deep breaths to mentally prepare herself for breaking the news to Robin. It had to be worded just right or Robin might freak out. "Tomorrow is a day of great importance to me and to my sister. It is the anniversary of our parents' deaths and we have always found time to pay respect to them. Normally we would return to Tamaran to do so but as you know Blackfire would not be allowed to go back home. It involves a small ceremony that is held at the home and since I am staying on Earth for this year…my sister wishes to join me here to pay respects."

"Whoa…hold the phone there Starfire!"

"What phone? I am not calling anybody."

"I didn't mean…oh nevermind," Robin tried to collect his thoughts after having them sent for a bit of a spin by the news. "Let me get this straight, you're sister is asking to come into the tower for some ceremony?"

"That's correct. I know this is a lot to ask but she promised me she would set aside our differences for this day. It would mean very much to me if you let met me do this," Starfire began her campaign of reasoning with Robin, who could be as stubborn as a mule some days.

"You're actually going to trust her?" Beast Boy said, throwing his two cents into the debate. "She's done nothing but lie to you ever since she came to Earth the first time. She tried to marry you off to a giant booger, remember?"

"I have taken that into account Beast Boy, but this is a tradition between my sister and I. This might be an opportunity to heal the rift between us as well. And…she also needs a place to stay until tomorrow," Starfire added with a nervous smile. It was tough enough asking the first part, but to also ask for Blackfire to stay the night was even worse. Robin and Beast Boy were both taken back by this new request.

"Are you crazy Star? It's bad enough wanting to let her inside for a few hours but to let her in overnight is just nuts. Its way too risky…she's just going to use the occasion as a way to get close to you and then she'll just wait for you to drop your guard and then POW!" Robin was vocalizing his protest to the request quite enthusiastically, much to Starfire's dismay. It seemed she would not be able to appeal to his sense of reasoning or their friendship. Starfire couldn't get angry with him for it though; he was merely thinking about the safety of the team, including Starfire. However, Starfire was equally adamant to her side of the argument.

"Perhaps I am a bit crazy by your standards but I am not going to disrespect my parents by denying this. My sister will be joining me tomorrow."

"And I'm saying no. I am not going to let Blackfire take one step into this tower!"

"About that…" Starfire started but was interrupted when Cyborg suddenly burst through the doors with a panicked expression on his face.

"Robin! Blackfire's right outside in the hallway!" Cyborg announced, pointing towards the doorway where Blackfire had just stepped into view. She smirked and just waved to the other Titans. Robin glared back to Starfire who was grinning nervously once more.

"Eh-heh…I've…already told Blackfire she could stay."


	3. Chapter 3: Close Quarters

**Chapter Three: Close Quarters**

**"What's with the stunned looks, you guys?** Do you guys just automatically assume that because I'm here I'm going to cause trouble? I was hoping for a little more respect than that," Blackfire remarked as she strolled as confidently as always into the living room. "It's almost hurtful to see this kind of reaction."

"Well what would you expect, you're a criminal," Robin pointed out.

"I've only broken a few peace disturbing laws on your planet. All the other things were committed on other planets with different laws and different circumstances. Don't go around judging me until you've at least lived a few days in my shoes," Blackfire cleverly retorted, silencing Robin momentarily with an effective use of logic.

"That doesn't change the fact that you tried to frame Starfire, forcibly took over your own planet, and tried to exploit your own sister for personal gain," Robin retaliated and would've gone on further except that Starfire stepped between the two of them to silence the argument.

"I will make sure that my sister does not do anything bad and you will give her the benefit of the doubt. It is only until we are finished tomorrow and not a moment longer, I promise," Starfire explained, feeling a lot more confident now at stopping this situation before it does escalate into something a little more violent. Her concern was mostly with the patience of her sister, which she knew was a bit on the short side. A heated argument might spark violence and everything would go down hill from there.

"Exactly!" Blackfire nodded in agreement.

"And you will be on your absolute best behavior," Starfire turned her attention to her sister next, being much more stern with Blackfire than Robin. "You will show all my friends the highest of respect and you will do as they ask when I am not around. This is your last chance sister – if you betray my trust once more I will never trust you again."

"Okay okay…no need to get so serious sis," Blackfire edged back slightly when her sister first started speaking. "I'll behave, I promise. Just…you know, make sure your friends don't treat me like I'm always up to something." Blackfire knew the next day or so would be a strain on her patience but she was confident that if she just stayed out of everybody's way they'd hardly even notice that she was there. Blackfire realized a while back that her sister's confidence was significantly greater than in their previous encounters. She wouldn't be able to 'bully' Starfire anymore; the only way to get her way was to just reason with her sister, not something that Blackfire enjoyed.

"Starfire could I have a word with you in private?" Robin insisted, taking Starfire by the wrist and dragging her off to the next room. Blackfire just rolled her eyes as she had a good idea what the conversation was going to be about. Robin was probably going to be the most difficult convince – Cyborg and Beast Boy were easy to win back over and Raven would just be…well, either Raven would be completely impossible, moderately easy, or just wouldn't care at all. Either way, Robin was the only person that could really ruin the next few days.

"Blackfire, you promised you'd listen to any request made by the rest of us. I request that you take Robin's place and finish the race in his place," Beast Boy 'commanded', taking advantage of Blackfire's promise in order to relieve his boredom that was brought about by Starfire's interruption. Beast Boy, while just as suspicious of Blackfire as the others, was not about to let that ruin a good opportunity to play against one of the best gamers he's ever challenged.

"Fine…if you want to lose that badly," Blackfire said as she accepted his challenge. Perhaps a few rounds on the game console would help ease some of the tension in this place. She hopped onto the couch and picked up Robins controller to resume where he had left off.

"Not a chance! I'm already three laps ahead of you and it's almost the last lap."

Meanwhile in the next room over, Starfire and Robin find some privacy to discuss the obvious matter at hand. Honestly though, Robin was having trouble finding anything to try and convince Starfire to reconsider her decision. She was adamant in her decision and was unlikely to back down any time soon. However, Robin hoped that he could get a bit more truthful answer from Starfire now that her sister was out of earshot.

"Are you certain that this is a good idea?" Robin attempted to reason with her once more.

"I have given this a great deal of thought Robin and I believe this is the right decision. It has been a while since the events on Tamaran and she has told me that she has done much reflecting upon her life. I think she might be able to turn away from her life of crime if I show her that a peaceful solution is possible."

"I hope you're right…"

"As do I."

"Just keep an eye on your sister, okay? I'm not going to stop you but…I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Really? That's strange because I have a good feeling about this. I have a feeling we might actually be able to change things for the better between us."

"I must admit I'm a little surprised and impressed to see how easily the two of you can set aside your differences for the sake of tradition. It's almost like you two were a regular pair of siblings…"

"Indeed. It is nice to be able to be around my sister without having to worry…well, worry much that is. Perhaps tomorrow you can see the sister that I grew up with and you will understand why I am willing to take such a risk."

"So what exactly do you two…you know, do on this occasion? You've never really mentioned this tradition before."

"It's more of an informal tradition with my sister. At midnight we start with a toast over a glass of rothulk, which is a traditional drink served at times of celebration or mourning. Afterwards, Galfore would normally share stories of our parents until we both felt well enough to travel. At midday, we would travel to our parents' grave and observe a period of silence and reflection for them. Then we would return to the palace and have a small banquet in their honor. I suppose we will have to change some of the traditions since we will not be on Tamaran but what is important is that my family are friends are here to spend it with."

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A near-deafening and familiar cry came from the other room, pulling Robin away from the conversation as he raced back to the living room to find out what was the source of the commotion. What he found was Beast Boy bashing his head against the coffee table while Blackfire beside him was doing a sort of victory jig in her seat.

"Move over bud, it's my turn to play!" Cyborg said enthusiastically as he pulled Beast Boy from his seat and took his place with controller in hand.

------------

"Listen Raven…I'm sorry to have to be putting you on the spot like this but I needed somebody to talk to and you were the only one I figured would be…objective about this and I really appreciate that you're willing to listen to me. I know you'd rather be doing something else," Robin apologized before lifting the dumbbell in his left hand. The two Titans were in the gym – Robin sitting amongst the weights and Raven sitting in a chair a few feet away with her feet kicked up and resting atop of a barbell upon its stand. Raven didn't appear to be paying much attention to her teammate though as she was reading a book at the same time.

"Oh believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do than listen to you complain about you friend's sister," Raven sarcastically replied before flipping a page in her book.

"Yeah…like I said, I really appreciate what you're doing."

"What can I say, I'm a people person."

"I want to be supportive for Starfire but…I can't bring myself to trust Blackfire. She's lied and betrayed her twice already and now she's claiming that she'll behave herself because of their parents. She lied to her whole planet…she manipulated everybody in her way to get what she wanted."

"Are you saying a liar can't tell the truth?"

"What? No…that's not what I meant."

"I don't trust her much either, but I'm willing to call a truce if that's what Starfire wants." Raven had her doubts about Blackfire's sincerity but if she tried to dispute Starfire's decision that would just spur an argument from her and Raven figured it'd be easier putting up with Blackfire for one day than put up with Starfire's whining for an equal period of time. "Besides, if Blackfire isn't be honest, I'm pretty sure Starfire is going to raise holy hell about it and I'll be grateful not to be on the receiving end of it."

"I suppose you're right there…"

"I do seem to have a knack for that."

"So…what would you recommend I do? You seem to have a handle on this whole situation," Robin asked, switching arms for the dumbbell.

"What does it matter what I'd do? I'm not you and my way tends to involve keeping my distance from the rest of you," Raven answered honestly. "Besides, this isn't something you should just ignore because if Starfire gets what she wants you can be certain you'll be seeing a lot more of her sister. Even if she were planning something she would've likely taken your skepticism into account."

"So I'm screwed either way, huh?"

"Well…you could do that crazy thing you people call 'getting to know each other' or is that not superhero enough for you?"

"I think I know her well enough…"

"Really now? I don't recall you being the one that grew up with her…or the one that listened to almost an hour-long collection of poetry that was more true to herself than any of her current behavior. I must've gotten myself confused in the middle of it all. You've spent a total of only a couple of days with Blackfire and during most of it you were enjoying yourself like the rest of us. While I can understand your desire to keep her pegged as a no-good criminal, it's not as if she's on the level of Slade or Dr. Light. Before you label her for life, bear in mind that you have a big Red X on your unofficial criminal record."

"Dammit…" Robin groaned as he set the dumbbell down on the stand with the others. "Fine…but that's the last time you get to use that excuse to make me do something."

"That's a lie and you know it. Now hop to it and maybe you'll learn something."

"You already know what it is you want me to find out."

"Of course, I'm smart and I know everything."

"Couldn't you just tell me right now?"

"That, my friend, would rob me of all my entertainment for tomorrow," she answered with a sly smirk, which just aggravated Robin further. She didn't have to just be right - she had to be right and rub it in as well.

------------

It took a while for Robin to finally swallow his pride and admit that Raven had a very good about Blackfire and it took even longer for him to finally work up the guts to actually do something about it. He was hoping if he just ignored the situation long enough it would go away…but he had a strange feeling that Blackfire wasn't going to be exiting his life any time soon. He **had** to try and have a civilized conversation with her and try to see what Starfire still saw in that manipulative sister of hers. He found her alone in the living room, standing behind a counter with several large bottle filled various coloured liquids and one smaller, empty bottle.

"Uh, hey Blackfire, um…what are you up to?" Robin struggled a bit with getting that first sentence out. It was so tempting to just walk away and forget it, but this needed to be done. For Starfire's sake, he had to learn how to get along with Blackfire once again. How hard could it be though - he remembered when they were having fun in the weight room the first time Blackfire visited the tower.

"Getting the rothulk ready for tonight. I assume you've talked to Raven already?"

"H…how did you know-"

"You were still bothered by my presence last time I saw you," Blackfire interrupted. "Starfire had said everything she needed to and Cyborg and Beast Boy were too busy having fun playing the gamestation with me so that leaves only one other person. The fact that your talking to me tells me that you're finally ready to give me a second chance…"

"Third chance."

"Oh who's counting?"

"I am," Robin answered though Blackfire didn't give him the benefit of a retort. Robin sighed lightly as he realized this was not what Raven had suggested and he had to try and be a little less…condemning. "So um…Starfire said that rothulk was a traditional drink on Tamaran what sort of drink is it exactly?"

"The closest equivalent would be a hard liquor on your planet. I'd list the ingredients but it would mean absolutely nothing to you. It's very…strong would be a good way to describe it. Very bold and somewhat fruity taste though it's very much an acquired one," Blackfire explained as she began mixing the contents of the large bottles into the small one. "Rothulk is made by mixing these six fruit, root, and grain extracts together in the right proportions and then you serve it chilled. It's only good for a few hours and then the stuff goes bad so it's pretty much every Tamaranean's duty to learn how to make it."

"Uh…that's um, very interesting."

"It's cute to see you trying so hard to treat me as an equal," she joked as she capped the small bottle close and started shaking it like a martini shaker. "The traditional way to drink it is to take it all back in one gulp, however I'm probably the only one in this building who can take it all at once and not pass out so you're more than welcome to just take it in light sips. Even Starfire sips hers…you should've seen her the first time she tried rothulk. She got tipsy and fell into one of the palace fountains." Blackfire chuckled softly as she reflected on the memory, it was a long time ago but she could still remember it like it was yesterday. "I had to jump into the fountain to pull Starfire out. Galfore was furious at me cause I gave it to her despite him telling me not to. It was probably the first time that she really enjoyed the tradition."

"Sounds like you two were pretty close back then."

"Yeah…seems that way doesn't it…" Blackfire let slip without even thinking about her response thoroughly. The immediate, slightly panicked look in her eyes as she glanced away from Robin let him know that it a Freudian slip that he had just witnessed. Was this what Raven was talking about? Robin didn't know if he should press on the slip. Being too assertive could just wind up sealing that slight leak forever. There was an awkward silence between them; the only noise was the gentle shaking of the rothulk bottle.

"Have you and Starfire always been so…hostile with each other?" Robin finally asked, hoping he wasn't treading on thin ice right now.

Blackfire just stared at Robin for a moment before answering. "Sorta. I suppose we've always been rivals since we were younger and for a long while I was always the one coming out on top. She used to look up to like any little sister would but…I guess it was only a matter of time before she got better than me at fighting."

"Since when have you been so…humble?"

"I'm not, I'm just being honest. But hey, I've been working out since the incident on Tamaaran, maybe we'll get a rematch going one day." Blackfire's comment just drew a suspicious glare from Robin, which just made her chuckle softly. "In a friendly spar of course…it's not like I want to risk getting banished from another planet." Robin remained silent as she just watched Blackfire for a little while longer, trying to read between the lines and pick out the snippets of the person that she's trying to keep hidden. Was it possible that beneath the layers of arrogance and anger there was a teenager who was just like the rest of them? "Well I'm sure that's enough Q&A to satisfy your need to feel that you've listened to Raven's advice so you can go back to holding quiet disdain for me for the rest of my stay."

"What if I'm actually interested in listening to you?" Robin tried Raven's other suggestion and that was to do what Blackfire would not expect from him and his usual behavior.

"Those are stories for another time. Hold your rothulk later and maybe you'll get a chance to hear some of it. Go ahead and take a whiff," Blackfire offered as she popped the cap off and held the bottle out for Robin. He only needed to put his nose within a foot of it before he reared back in shock.

"Oh man! That stuff smells…" Robin stated, covering his nose with one hand so he wouldn't have to smell it again. It held a very strong and spicy aroma mixed with hints of a more flowery scent, like a mixture of smelling a rose and inhaling deeply into a jar of mustard. On the bright side at least his sinuses felt a lot clearer now. "And you actually drink that stuff?"

"Tastes better than it smells. That's why you down it all in one go instead of sipping it slowly. That and the impact isn't as great when you sip. Got an ice bucket?"

------------

Midnight was only a few minutes away, which was when Starfire said that the celebration officially started. The other Titans were somewhat reluctant with the concern that something might happen in the city while they're having a toast, but they had all agreed to take part in this tradition and they weren't going to break their word. The five Titans and their guest had gathered in the living room to indulge themselves in a glass of rothulk, though Blackfire was fairly certain that most of them wouldn't drink much of it.

"First off, I wish to thank you all for your patience in dealing with my sister. I know she can be a handful at times but this day truly means a great deal to the both of us and I am honored to be able to share this moment with you all," Starfire began as her sister pulled the bottle of rothulk, a deep burgundy liquid, from the ice bucket and popped the top off. Each of the Titans had a glass in hand and they were curious as to see what this Tamaranean tradition involved.

"This is rothulk – a drink sometimes used in celebration but always used in times of mourning and remembrance. It calls us to remember that even though something may seem distasteful or unwanted at first, one can still find joy and happiness if you are willing to look for it," she continued as Blackfire went to each of the Titans and poured a reasonable amount for each of them.

"Now it's very strong and we don't expect any of you to drink it the Tamaranean way, which is to just take it all at once. If it makes you feel better, not even Starfire here can take it all at once," Blackfire added as she finished topping off her own glass.

"Actually sister, I will be attempting to drink it in the traditional manner this year," Starfire insisted as she picked up her glass.

"Okay but bear in mind what happened last time you did that." Blackfire was the only one in the room used to taking a whole glass of rothulk at once and usually had more than one if there was any left. The other Titans looked at the contents of their glass, trying hard not to inhale it as they caught of a whiff of it when Blackfire was pouring it for them.

"As our guest, would you care to do the honours sister?"

"Me? You know I'm not very good at these things."

"I know that Galfore is the one who performs the toast but he is not here and you know that I…do not remember much of mother and father."

"Very well then…um, lemme think for a moment," Blackfire muttered softly to herself. Her fingertips rapped upon the side of her glass as she stewed over the right words. "Here goes nothing…" she sighed before clearing her throat. She raised her glass into the air and took a deep breath. "Mother…Father…thank you for everything that you have given us. I hope that wherever you two may be now that you are able to watch us from above and, hopefully, that you are smiling upon us…or at least one of us. G'floir!" Blackfire finished with a Tamaranean equivalent of 'cheers', to which Starfire immediately raised her glass.

"G'floir!"

The other Titans, not exactly certain of what Blackfire had said at the end, simply raised their glasses with a combined 'cheers'. Blackfire then threw her head back and started chugging the rothulk down, not missing a beat and finishing it all in only a few seconds. Starfire soon followed suit while the other four Titans watched with curiosity as Starfire began chugging back the liquid as well. Both sisters let out very large and content sighs after they had finished their drinks, their cheeks flushing red only moments afterwards due to the quick intoxicating effects of the drink. Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg both eyed their drinks cautiously and took a very gentle sip from it before all three doubled over in unison, gasping loudly for air. Rothulk was known for its very hard and very fast hitting action somewhat similar to being hit in the stomach by a raspberry the size of a football launched out of a howitzer.

"Whoa…how do you handle all that at once?" Beast Boy asked between gasps. The three boys' attention was then pulled aside to the sound of more chugging and they all looked to their right to see Raven throwing back the rothulk in a fashion akin to the Tamaraneans.

"Not bad…" she finally commented after taking a few deep breaths to fully…appreciate the characteristics of rothulk. The three Titans to her left just stood there dumbfounded after what they had witnessed. Blackfire looked to her sister, whose face had progressively reddened over time but she was still standing at the moment.

"Hey you actually got it all down for a change!" Blackfire chuckled as she gave Starfire a congratulatory pat on the back. Unfortunately, it seemed that Starfire might only have been standing because of a lack of force to the contrary as even the light pat on the back caused Starfire to collapse on the couch that was strategically placed in her path for just such an emergency.

"Well at least you lasted longer than last time," Blackfire commented, though the only response Starfire could give at the moment was a heavily slurred groaning noise.

"Can I have a refill?"

The celebration had continued long into the night and though there were not as many shared stories as in previous years, the Titans managed to find a way to spend their time. Eventually Starfire recovered and resumed drinking along with Blackfire and Raven and good times were had by all. At one point, Starfire even climbed up onto the table and proclaimed her disdain for the unbearable heat in the room before discarding a few layers of her already limited wardrobe to much surprise and/or amusement of the others.

------------

Morning eventually came many hours after the Titans had either fallen asleep or passed out due to intoxication. Robin was the first to wake back up and not having avoided most of the rothulk the night before felt refreshed and alert when he awoke. In a surprisingly similar turn of events, he had awoken once again to find Starfire unconscious atop of him, though this time her slumber was much, much deeper than the night before and he managed to slip out from underneath her without waking the Tamaranean. Raven was passed out face-first on the couch with Beast Boy on the floor in front of the couch and Cyborg behind it.

"Wait a second…where's Blackfire?" Robin muttered to himself as he realized he could not find the other Tamaranean anywhere in the living room. Was this what she had been waiting for? To get as many people smashed as possible before running amuck in the tower? Robin was about to race out of the living room but when he reached the doorway out it opened to reveal Blackfire on the other side.

"Oh…good morning, or should I say afternoon?"

"Where have you been?"

"The bathroom…unfortunately I flush all the evidence down the toilet so you'll have to take my word for it."

"Oh…sorry."

"By the way, one of your computers was making a lot of noise – the one with the red flashing lights and such."

"What? Agh! That means there's something happening in the city!"

"Calm down. I read the thingie on the screen. It said there was a suspicious sighting at some museum storage facility. Some tall guy with broad shoulder…wearing a weird suit that was mostly black and wearing a blackish helmet."

"Slade! Ah man of all the days!" Robin shouted as he raced back to the couch to awaken his teammates. "Titans, wake up! We got a situation in progress!"

"Please reduce the volume of your voice…" Starfire groaned in response. "Your volume is only making the pounding in my head more intense." Thankfully, Beast Boy and Cyborg were able to wake up relatively faster than their female teammates.

"Come on you guys. There's a possible sighting of Slade at a museum warehouse, we have to go now!" Thankfully the name Slade invoked some more haste from the Titans, though not as much as it had to Robin. None of them were in the mood for fighting but they couldn't ignore this.

"Have fun you guys…I'll um, stay here," Blackfire added with a wave good-bye.

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with us!" Robin ordered as he grabbed Blackfire by the wrist and pulled her along.

**Note from the Author:** The author wishes to state at this time that while intoxication may be funny in a safe environment, alcohol is not something to be used frivolously. While the Titans may all be under the legal drinking age, please bear in mind that difficult cultures view alcohol consumption with vastly different views. In some cultures alcohol consumption at such a young age is not illegal and considered normal while others ban alcohol altogether. However, please respect the drinking laws in your area and if you are of legal age, please drink responsibly.


	4. Chapter 4: The Kronos Trigger

**Chapter Four: The Kronos Trigger**

**"Are you sure this is the place?"** Robin asked as he looked up at the semi-dilapidated building that stood before them. The windows had been boarded up a long time ago and the large warehouse doors had a huge padlock on them. Even if it was still in service, it appeared as though it hadn't been in use for a very long time. A faded emblem of the Jump City Science Museum was on the door though and the personnel entrance, which had been padlocked, was broken down in a none-too-subtle fashion. The Titans had gathered around the address that Blackfire had relayed to them with the reluctant Tamaranean in tow.

"Yes this is the address. Look, the door is even kicked it…could you have a more obvious 'break-in' sign? Now go in there, do your super hero stuff and I'll wait out here," Blackfire remarked, a little annoyed at being dragged out here with the goody-goodies. What if somebody saw her here? They might think she's actually affiliated with them in a way that's not just family lines. If it weren't for the fact that she didn't have a reputation on earth, she'd be worried that this could tarnish it.

"Nice try little lady, you're coming in with us," Cyborg reminded her of her promise of compliance giving her a light shove towards the door. "Excuse our skepticism but we're not taking any chances that you might have had something to do with this."

"Alright alright…I'm going in, but I ain't going to do any of that violence stuff. You guys are the heroes not me. I agreed to behave, not to put my neck on the line for you guys," Blackfire snapped back, still annoyed with the treatment she was receiving, though it was to be expected from thee Titans. With no further delay, the six of them cautiously headed inside the warehouse. In side, stacks and stacks of crates of various sizes and material were scattered throughout the interior of the building, creating a sort of maze in the building. The lighting was only from scattered light bulbs suspended from the ceiling so there was rather poor illumination of the interior.

"Great, this place could take forever to search…" Robin grumbled almost inaudibly.

"Or not…my sensor's picking a huge energy source emanating from near the center of the building," Cyborg explained, looking at the scanner readout in his arm. "I'm detecting energies from all over the spectrum…whatever it is, it's either a giant battery of physical and metaphysical energies or my sensors are seriously on the fritz. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Slade having that power…not since Trigon."

"I'm inclined to agree. It's not exactly like Slade to be breaking into a warehouse on his own. He'd have hired help for it. We're probably dealing with somebody else…just a question of whom," Raven added, drawing her hood up and mentally preparing herself for a fight of some sort. They didn't run into people that lit up Cyborg's sensors like a fireworks display…so they had to be cautious.

"Let's go…all of us," Robin threw the last part in to remind Blackfire that she wasn't allowed to sit back just yet. He didn't want her out of his sight until they found out who was responsible for this incident. The group slowly advanced through the rows of stored crates, keeping quiet as to not alert whomever they were sneaking up on. Cyborg raised his hand to signal the group to stop and motioned towards the large stack of crates ahead of the group.

"The source is on the other side of those boxes," he whispered very quietly.

Robin motioned for the Titans to huddle together so they could communicate easily and quietly. "Alright, we split up and surround it in a five-point strike. Raven and Starfire will fly wide and approach from the opposite side. Beast Boy is advanced on my left, Cyborg will advance to my right, and I will go straight over the crates."

"And where shall Blackfire be in all of this?" Starfire inquired.

"She'll stray right here and she won't go anywhere," Robin informed, looking to Blackfire to make sure she heard him, which she had. All the Titans nodded their agreement to the plan and separated to move into position. Once Robin had gotten a silent 'in position' signal over the communicator from each of the Titans he sent the 'go' command the five Titans moved in with Robin leaping up to the top of the crates, drawing out his bo staff, in order to confront…whoever the heck was responsible for the break-in.

"Hold it right there!" Robin shouted in a rather generic non-specific introductory statement, since he didn't really know who and what he was dealing with right away. What he saw came as a bit of a surprise. Smack dab in the center of the five Titans was a sturdy figure, clad from head to toe in metallic armour plating. He certainly fit the description that was given earlier but it definitely wasn't Slade. For starters, the mysterious figure was wearing a long black cloak and his body armour was more of a modernized version of old medieval armour composed of large black metal plates with a gold-coloured trim along the edges of each individual plate. It wore a simple full helm that prevented any positive identification of the person within with the exception of a red glow that came from each of the eye slits in the helmet. On the center of his chest plate, a large emblem of what appeared to be a skull engulfed in flames was etched in gold trim. What was surprising though was the fact that he was standing there, arms folded across his chest and one foot tapping on the ground as if he had been waiting for them the whole time.

"I am…" the mysterious figure spoke in an equally strange voice – a sharp, metallic-like voice that echoed with a weak resonance from his body. An unusual voice to go with an unusual character, though from what tone Robin could decipher he sounded oddly calm in the Titans' presence. "I've been waiting for somebody to show up…"

"And just who are you?"

"My name? Hm…it's been such a long time since I've had to introduce myself. I believe Kronos was what they used to call me, but that was a long time ago."

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked next, figuring he might as well learn as much as he can about this mysterious individual before things got out of hand. There was a slight chance that violence could be avoided…but he had an odd feeling that wouldn't happen. After all, how many people break into a warehouse decked in that level or armour?

"Collecting some property of mine…and waiting for you. I am glad my little message managed to get through to you. I must admit I was not expecting it to work on the first go but…fortune has smiled upon this day."

"Why were you waiting for us?" he asked cautiously, gripping his bo staff tightly. He didn't like how this conversation was progressing and neither did any of the other Titans who were equally on edge at the moment.

"Oh…you don't want to know…" Krono replied, clenching his fists tightly as he began to emit a very dull light. His cape fluttered back as small bolts of electricity sparked off his frame like a plasma orb. "But it involves a great deal of pain."

Robin clenched his teeth momentarily as he contemplated a pre-emptive strike or not. This Kronos fellow was extremely confident and if he was expecting an attack than he was likely prepared for it. However, the man made his intentions pretty clear so it was better to be the first into the fight than the last. "Titans, go!"

Robin was the first to launch an attack since he was so conveniently the closest to Kronos and had the benefit of an elevated position. All he needed to do was jump off the crates and let gravity all the force he needed as he swung his bo staff straight down at Kronos. Kronos, however, seemed rather prepared for the attack as he twisted his body and stepped out of the way at the last moment and counter-attacked with a backhand that sent Robin right back into the crates, though in a far more painful fashion.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted as she witnessed the brutal strike that Kronos had delivered. Immediately, she charged up her starbolts and launched several of them at Kronos while Cyborg armed his sonic cannon and fired as well. Kronos turned to face the attacking Titans and created an energy shield around him, stopping all the attacks that Cyborg and Starfire had unleashed upon him. However, his attention had been diverted away from Beast Boy, who came charging up from behind as rhinoceros and clocked Kronos from behind.

The impact sent him flying and he hit the ground hard before skidding to a halt near another stack of crates. Though fazed, he seemed unhurt as he got back to his feet and faced Beast Boy, who was charging in for a second strike. Beast Boy wouldn't find success this time around. Kronos launched a bolt of energy into the ground, which created a sort of energy geyser that erupted when Beast Boy passed over it. He was launched into the air and crashed into the crates behind Kronos.

"Time to take you down!" Cyborg shouted as he now charged, engaging Kronos hand-to-hand. He took several powerful swings at Kronos, all of which he managed to either evade or block with little apparent difficulty. Kronos caught one of Cyborg's punches and sent the Titan flying back with an energy blast straight to the gut. His victory was short-lived as he was promptly reminded of the other combatants when he was struck in the back by a pair of starbolts. The attack caught him off guard causing him to stagger momentarily but once again he did not appear to be significantly harmed by the attack. He turned about face and was about to launch a counterattack when Raven made her move, slamming Kronos with a massive storage container straight into a pile of additional containers.

The Titans took the opportunity to regroup and ready themselves just in case Raven's attack didn't stop Kronos.

"He really packs a punch…" Robin groaned, still feeling a little off after receiving the powerful backhand from Kronos.

"He seems to have trouble focusing on more than one of us at a time, we need to keep hitting him from all angles," Cyborg recommended. The other Titans nodded in agreement before their attention was drawn back to Kronos by a rattling of the container that Raven hit him with. All of a sudden, the container launched in towards the Titans forcing them to scatter. Cyborg wasn't quite fast enough to get out of the path of the container and instead had to rely on his raw strength to bring the container to a halt before he was sandwiched between it and a hard place.

"Starfire, Raven – covering fire!" Robin shouted to his teammates. Raven complied as she set a volley of smaller storage crates towards Kronos while Starfire hurled a series of starbolts at him. Though Kronos raised a shield again to stop the oncoming attacks, it kept him occupied while the other three Titans closed to engage at close range. Robin swung his bo staff high, strike Kronos across the face and followed it up with a series of rapid jabs and swings that all found their mark against his armoured body. Yet still their attacks seemed to only faze him momentarily as he intercepted Robin's staff and just slammed Robin against the wall. Beast Boy moved in now, taking the form of a Gorilla and grabbed Kronos from behind, squeezing Kronos between his hefty arms and chest. Cyborg saw this as a pretty good opportunity to get some extra blows in on Kronos while Beast Boy held him still. However, Kronos revealead another trick up his sleeve as his body began to emit a white light and in a flash he disappeared from Beast Boy's grip just seconds before Cyborg's fist would've made contact and now instead only smashing Beast Boy in the face.

"Oh for the love of-! Sorry about that!" Cyborg shouted to his companion who had knocked senseless by his attack. Unfortunately, Cyborg didn't realize that Kronos had only teleported a few feet and was currently standing right behind him. He turned about just in time to see the energy bolt that sent him flying straight into Beast Boy.

"Too easy…" Kronos muttered quietly. "Hm?" Kronos was confused for a moment when he was suddenly drawn up into the air, but he quickly looked over to Raven and realized that she was responsible for it.

"I already have a serious headache," Raven growled before she slammed Kronos into the wall behind him. "And…you…are…not…helping…it!" Raven continued, slamming Kronos into another solid surface after each word. Kronos finally managed to break free of Raven's grasp by using his own telekinetic powers to counter it.

"I am not amused," he retorted as he returned the favor by taking hold of Raven with his telekinetic powers and then also grabbing Starfire with it. With a slight wave of both hands the two Titans were slammed into each other at high speeds before he let them both fall to the ground. Robin wasn't out of the fight just yet, charging up to Kronos and throwing every ounce of strength into a kick to the side of his head. The sheer force of the impact drove Kronos' head into the metal crates resulting in a small indentation in the crate.

"Now that…was impressive," Kronos' muffled voice could still be heard though. He pulled his face out of the crate and turned his gaze towards Robin. "It has been so long since I have felt pain. Would you care to try your best to make me feel it? I would so appreciate it." Robin just had a perplexed look on his face wondering if he was being serious or not. It appeared that he way as he just seemed to stand in front of Robin waiting for the next hit. Robin wasn't going to let the opportunity slip past him; if Kronos wanted a beating then Robin was going to deliver.

Robin wound up and let loose a powerhouse of a haymaker, causing the armoured foe to stagger back in a daze. Robin was not going to let off the pressure though, following up with a series of kicks and punches, just letting one fly right after the other and none of them encountering any resistance from Kronos. His hands ached just from punching the armour time and time again but he was hoping that he was going to be hurting Kronos more than it was hurting him. After about thirteen or so consecutive strikes, Robin finished his spree with a roundhouse kick just like the one he had started off with – returning Kronos to a position very similar to the first one. Might as well go full circle.

But instead of a groan of pain or discomfort, all Robin heard was a low chuckle. "That…almost hurt," Kronos spoke as he once again pulled his face out of the indented container. Before Robin could even get over the surprise of witnessing Kronos shrug off such a powerful attack, Kronos reached out grabbed hold of Robin by the scruff of his uniform. Kronos then pitched Robin up into the air like he was a baseball but in a surprising turn of events he was intercepted before he could start falling back towards the ground.

"Blackfire?"

"Don't think too much into this," Blackfire remarked as she set Robin back on the ground. "Looks its just down to just us," she commented, glancing momentarily at the other incapacitated Titans.

"Us? You mean you're actually going to help?"

"You're all getting your butts kicked. If you guys lose I'm out of a place to stay," Blackfire explained. "Now sit back and let a professional handle this," she smirked as she gently hovered over to Kronos.

"Who are you?" Kronos asked, not recognizing Blackfire of course.

"Name's Blackfire and unfortunately I'm going to have to beat the hell out of you now. It's nothing personal, I'm just tired and I want to go home, which means you have to go down," Blackfire introduced herself as her eyes began to glow pink. Not even giving Kronos a chance to retort, Blackfire flew towards him. Kronos charged up an energy bolt and fired it off at point blank range but Blackfire had dipped low at the last moment to just narrowly avoid the energy blast. This left Kronos' defenses open and Blackfire threw all of her force into one powerful blow to the abdomen. The blow lifted Kronos off his feet for a few moments, leaving him open for a second blow of equal strength that sent Kronos into the crates. Blackfire didn't let up though as watching the fight taught her that her opponent adjusted quickly to novel strategies. Charging up her starbolts, she began hurling them at her opponent. One after the other, the starbolts were fired with precision and power as if they were being fired from a baseball pitching machine. Kronos became engulfed in the constant barrage of energy bolts, which also caused the crates around him to cave inwards and bury him. It was only when the crates completely covered him, thus shielding him from any further assaults, did Blackfire finally stop her relentless attack.

"Wow…I think you actually…got him," Robin couldn't help but be impressed despite having to admit that Blackfire actually did a good job at fighting. Was this really the same Blackfire that lost in a one-on-one fight with Starfire back on Tamaran? How could she have accomplished what the five of them failed to do? "How…how did you manage to do that?"

"Maybe if you had Starfire and Cyborg using their energy attacks more often you would've gotten the same results. Instead you guys relied more on blunt, physical attacks to try and hurt him, which didn't seem to work the first dozen times and definitely didn't work next dozen times. Now I know what you're thinking…yes, I am good. I'm damn good at this. Oh…how shall I ever look at Starfire the same way knowing that her sister is not only more beautiful and smarter, but stronger as well. Try not to lose too much sleep over the fact that you got owned while I did not."

"Don't rub it in…"

"I intend to. And as your friend Cyborg would say….boo-yah."

However, when the crates began to quake, the two warriors realized that this fight was still not over. The crates atop of Kronos were knocked away by his telekinesis and the armoured warrior stepped forth once again. But, for the first time in this battle, their opponent was obviously injured and not just a little bit but significantly. He was hunched over with one arm hanging limply by his side while his other arm was wrapped around his abdomen.

"Most…impressive. That actually…hurt…"

"Shut up and stay down if you know what's good for you! Blackfire snapped back, not pleased that even her all-out attack failed to put an end to this fight, but at least she did better than the other Titans.

"I will, but first…" Kronos outstretched his good arm towards the Titans and he began to glow a dull red. At first Robin and Blackfire didn't know what he was up to, but then they noticed the growing circular black mass that was growing beneath their feet and around the recovering Titans.

"What the hell?" Blackfire wasn't sure what to make of Kronos' technique…or what it was even attempting to do. Before the two could move out of the way, the black masses rose up from the ground and encapsulated each one of them before slowly sinking back into the ground. When the masses flattened back into the ground, Robin, Blackfire, and the other Titans had vanished.

"Ugh…" Kronos groaned, falling to one knee afterwards. "I did not take into account her presence. I will…need to allocate more energy next time." His armour was dented and cracked from all the abuse it had received and small bolts of electricity sparked off his body. "Such power…they almost broke containment. Blast…this will take days to repair…"


	5. Chapter 5: The Plains of Daluram

**Chapter Five: The Plains of Daluram**

**A desert-like breeze swept across the land, carrying small clouds of red dust across the sandy earth.** The sun hung high in the sky, unusually larger yet dimmer than it's supposed to be but still keeping the lands below at a reasonably warm temperature that was akin to a pleasant spring morning. This, however, was neither Jump City nor Earth itself. The landscape was rugged and barren, decorated with scattered rock formations, small patches of tree-like growth, and dusted in a fine red sandy. One might describe it as being a crossover between the red landscape of Mars but containing plant growth and wildlife. The sky was a light red-orange hue with a few scattered clouds that appeared similar to storm clouds. The local fauna chirped in the background, emitting sounds similar to crickets and birds but containing a slight reptilian undertone to it.

In a small clearing where tall reddish blades of grass carpeted the earth, the young Tamaranean princess, Starfire, lay unconscious amidst the flora. She was alone though…none of her companions were in the immediate vicinity. A small groan escaped her lips as he eyelids began to twitch signaling her return to the conscious world. Her head was still throbbing from when she and Raven were smashed together like a pair of a pair of cymbals. She rubbed her aching head as she slowly sat up, still oblivious to her surroundings.

"Uggghh…what happened?" Starfire muttered, still assuming at least one companion was within earshot of her. She was tipped off that something was amiss when she realized that she was no longer on the hard concrete floor of a warehouse. Her eyes shot open and the sight was shocking to say the least. For a few moments, Starfire just stared in disbelief and part of her expecting to wake up for real at any moment but when the scenery before her would not disappear she realized that she was very much awake. "Where…where am I?" she said as she looked about to try and find somebody but there was nobody to be seen, which only discouraged the Tamaranean further.

"This is very bad," she spoke as she slowly got back to her feet. She wondered where could the others be. Were they separated as well? Were they even here? Where was 'here' anyways? Starfire hated being lost and confused…it brought a feeling of helplessness and anxiety that made her very edgy. Her best bet, she figured, was to get a better idea of her surroundings so the Titans flew upwards above the canopy in order to see what the surrounding area was like. From what she saw, it was mostly scattered woods and rocky wastelands in all directions with a large mountain range to her…um, well she had no sense of orientation either but it was in the distance. The one thing that stood out were rising columns of smoke in the distance near the bases of the mountains and a few unnatural sources of light that came from the same general area. The rock formations looked unnatural and judging by the looks of it, it appeared to be some sort of town or city.

Starfire then heard a faint calling – a voice for certain but it was difficult to make out at first. Scanning the area, it took a little while to finally notice a small green figure in a distant tree waving its arms wildly in the air. "Beast Boy!" she exclaimed before racing over to her comrade. "Thank goodness you are unharmed!"

"Boy am I glad to see you Starfire," Beast Boy shared in the enthusiasm. "Um…you wouldn't happen to know what the heck is going on, would ya?"

"I am afraid I am as confused as you are. I do not know where we are and you are the first I have seen."

"The last thing I remember was seeing Cyborg's big metal butt flying at me and then I wake up in a strange red and purple tree. Where the heck are we and did we get here?"

"I saw what looked like a settlement in the distance near those mountains," Starfire explained pointing in the direction of the large rock formations. "Perhaps there is something there that will tell us more about our surroundings."

"You might want to get down Star…" Beast Boy warned as he sunk slowly into the foliage of the tree, disappearing from sight. Starfire was a little puzzled at first until she heard a loud screeching noise and turned around to see a massive bird-like creature swooping down at her. She let out a shriek before diving into the tree with Beast Boy just narrowly avoiding the creature and its sharp talons.

"I have never seen a bird like before," Starfire commented, poking her head out of the tree to watch the beast fly away. She didn't get a very good look at it, but it appeared to be an evolutionary cross between a reptile and a bird about the size of a small car. It had a long scaly tail but a feathered torso and wings along with large talons on its feet and in its beak-like mouth. Starfire watched as the creature joined up with a small flock of its own kind. "They are sort of cute, but not very friendly."

"Cute? That thing tried to make breakfast out of me a few minutes ago. Why do you think I'm still hiding in a tree?"

"I suppose we could travel on foot to the destination."

"I don't think that would be a good idea either."

"And why is that?"

"Let's just say I have a hunch that the local inhabitants aren't too friendly."

Starfire was a bit puzzled by what Beast Boy meant so she climbed down the tree a bit and took a peak from the bottom of the foliage. Only a few meters away stood three unusual beings unlike anything she had seen in a long time. The first two looked a bit human but stood quiet tall and were clad head to toe in an odd armor. For a moment, they almost reminded her of Kronos but they were not wearing helms but full iron masks over their faces while their black hair was tied back. Both of them were carrying large swords and did not look friendly in the least. The third one was much, much larger than the other two – at least eight feet high and probably weighing over a thousand pounds. To describe it in a word, it looked like the mythological Minotaur: a combination of a human with a bull. However, it had four massive horns upon its head, two jutting to the side and the other two protruding forward instead. It was covered in a thick coat of brown fur, had burning yellow eyes, and a lengthy, thick tail.

"Great…you lost track of the green creature," one of the smaller creatures spoke up.

"Settle down it could not have gotten far. I heard something speaking nearby so it's probably still close and it might have friends," the other one replied. Both of them had raspy and wheezy voices.

"The trees provide much cover, it has likely taken shelter in them," the bull-like beast spoke up in a much more baritone, echoing voice. When one of the creatures started to move its line of sight towards Starfire, she promptly disappeared back into the thick foliage of the tree.

"Who are they and what did you do?" Starfire asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know and nothing. Honestly. I woke up; they came out of the trees and demanded I surrender. I didn't want to, they got angry and now they're hunting me down. As long as we stay quiet they won't find us…"

"Uh-oh…"

"What do you mean uh-oh? And what's with that look on your face?"

"There is something very large and very moist moving across my back and I do not know what it is…" she squeaked softly, almost terrified at the thought of whatever was on her back. Whatever it was…it felt absolutely disgusting upon the small of her back.

"D-don't panic now…I'm sure it's nothing," Beast Boy desperately tried to keep his friend from panicking now.

"But…it is trying to get underneath my shirt…" Starfire whined as she tried to restrain herself from making any sudden movements. However, the feeling was too much and it was almost completely underneath her shirt and if it went all the way it would be impossible to get out. "Gah! Get it off of me!" she finally snapped as she desperately reached around her back to try and grab whatever it was on her back.

"Agh! Star wait…don't!" Beast Boy tried to stop her but it was too late. Her frantic flailing had caused both Titans to lose their balance and they fell out of the tree and landed right at the feet of the three strange beings. On the bright side, Starfire did manage to get it out…though she also dropped it on the way down.

"I told you wishful thinking sometimes worked."

"You got lucky."

* * *

Water? Why was there water and more importantly, why was she in it? Raven did not recall any bodies of water near where they were fighting so it made no sense that she was in it. Of course, a lot of things in life didn't seem to make much sense – like how in blazes somebody so powerful could've popped up so suddenly in Jump City. Kronos was not her major concern though as she frantically worked her way back to the surface for precious air. She gasped heavily for air as she scanned her surroundings. This was obviously not Jump City. However, she wasn't quite as concerned as her teammates had been since she was used to weird things happening to her. Fortunately, the body of water she found herself in was that not large. In fact, she was fairly close to the edge of the lake, which was surrounded by scattered trees.

However, Raven froze on the spot when she felt something extremely large brushing past her legs. She looked down but could see very little as the water was a brownish colour and very cloudy. Whatever it was, Raven didn't want to stay in the water any longer to find out and she promptly flew upwards. A shadow started growing at the surface of the water and she quickly realized that something was about to emerge from the murky depths. It was a fish of some sort…a damn big one that made Jaws look like a minnow and it leapt out of the water its eyes set on Raven for an afternoon snack.

"Whoa!" Raven yelped as she flew up higher just narrowly avoiding the bear-trap jaws snapping just a few inches from her skin. It was time to get as far away from the lake as possible so Raven flew to the shoreline and touched down on the relative safety of the earth.

"I hope the others are doing better than I am," Raven sighed as she looked back to the hostile waters, watching the large fish disappear beneath the surface once more. This land was so strange…and yet it seemed eerily familiar to her. But from where? Perhaps she was just imaging things. She had to find the others, they could be in just as much trouble as she was…or even worse. At least the creature she faced was bound to the water…what if there were equally dangerous beasts upon the land or in the air? She tried not to think of what kind of creatures inhabited this world.

The big question now, though, was what to do. Staying here wasn't a very good option but neither was wandering aimlessly. Glancing around, she noticed some smoke columns near a mountain range, the same ones that Starfire had also seen. The mountains weren't too far off…she could probably make it there before the end of the day. If there's smoke, there's likely fire and it looked far too contained to be a wildfire. Raven hoped that the smoke was from someplace with intelligent life and hopefully friendly life.

Just as she was about to take to the sky a snapping twig caught her attention. It came from a nearby cluster of trees. Her eyes focused on the woods but the foliage was fairly thick. "Is somebody there?' Raven called out with the faint hope that it was a friendly face behind those bushes thinking just as cautiously about Raven. A few branches were slowly pushed aside and something emerged…but it was not a friendly face. It appeared as though she had attacked some more attention from the local fauna. A dinosaur-like beast stood before her covered in green scales and walking upon four legs. It's head was shaped like a predator lizard with a long snout filled with pointed teeth. An interesting feature was it's incredibly long tail, which curved upwards and hovered over its body with a number of claw-like appendages at the tip of its tail, which snapped periodically in Raven's direction.

"You better not be thinking what I think you are," Raven warned as she backed up slightly. She heard more footsteps though and move of the creatures began to step out of the woods – a lot of them. "Let me rephrase that…the eight of you better not be thinking what I think you all are." The stood in a wide arc formation, trapping her between themselves and a body of water that she already knew was not friendly to her. It seemed as though evolution has favored some intelligence in these creatures. One of the creatures stepped forward in the make-shirt 'ring' while the other seven kept the barrier around them. "I guess you are…you're not that smart after all," Raven remarked as she readied herself for another fight. The creature snarled and charged towards Raven. Using her telekinetics, she created a rising column that rose from the ground and knocked the creature back and over the others.

Two of the creatures from the barrier entered the ring and charged at Raven. Handling two would prove a bit more of a challenge for her. They attacked primarily with their tails, lashing out and trying to grab a hold of her with the snapping claws at the end of the tail. She swiftly dodged the first strikes from each of the creatures and quickly knocked one back with another telekinetic strike. With only five now forming the 'barrier' around them, it was easy for Raven to send one of the creatures flying into the ones forming the wall and create a hole for herself. Having knocking two over by sending the first one flying into them, Raven flew past the barricade and into more open ground. However, it seemed at this point the creatures were no longer interested in taking her one a couple at a time as they now all began approaching her.

Launching a small pulse of dark energy into the trunk of a tree, she severed the tree from its roots and used her telekinetic powers to pick up the tree and swing it towards the advancing creatures, successfully knocking four of them down and hopefully keeping them down. The first one lunged for her, colliding face first into a barrier that she put up, and then fell to the ground. The second one had been using the time to flank around Raven and its tailed lashed out at her from the side. She pulled her head back just in time to avoid another close call and quickly backed away from the beast. She hadn't been paying attention though as a third one swung its tail out and took Raven out at the legs.

On the ground and vulnerable, Raven tried to back to her feet up found a creature already pouncing atop of her. It had one foot on her chest that kept her on the ground while its tailed went for her head. Raven jerked her head to the side and the creature only wound up taking out a clump of dirt instead. She had to get this thing off of her though and she didn't like having to resort to such level of force…but this thing had to die. One precisely aimed sliver of dark energy straight through the bottom of its head was enough to snuff the life out of this creature. It made a few weak gurgling sounds before it collapsed next to Raven. That was five down. Raven hurried to her feet and put some distance between herself and the two close creatures that were looking to avenge their fallen comrade.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as a large rock was plucked out of the earth and hurled towards the two advancing creatures from the right flank. The rock plowed them both down in a bone-crushing blow with satisfactory results. She smirked slightly to herself at a job well done. "Wait…weren't there eight?" she muttered as she only counted seven on the ground before her. Raven quickly spun about to see the last once only a few feet from introducing its teeth to her face.

But then a miracle occurred, or at least what seemed to be one at the moment. A bolt of energy suddenly came out of nowhere and struck the beast dead-on, knocking it into the lake. Raven watched as the creature surfaced only momentarily before the less-than-friendly fish came along and made a meal out of the lizard. A gruesome finish but it beat being the one made into a meal. Of course, Raven was now puzzled as to what had just saved her and she looked over in the direction the bolt came from to see a figure standing there.

Draped in a very long blue cloak with a hood that completely blanketed its face in a dark shadow save for the two blue orbs that she assumed were his eyes. The figure stood about six feet in height, wearing various pieces of leather, mail, and armor beneath the large cloak. Clenched in his hands was a lengthy staff made from a gnarled piece of black wood with a large red gemstone embedded at the very tip of it. Raven just stared at the figure silently…uncertain of what to make of him.

"You look a little lost, Miss Raven…"


	6. Chapter 6: Unlikely Allies

**Chapter Six: Unlikely Allies**

**"Yo! Anybody out there?"** Cyborg shouted at the top of his lungs, not taking the same discrete approach that his other teammates had but then again he was unaware of the dangers that infested this realm. The only things he heard in response were growls and chirps from the local wildlife and the eventual echo of his voice off the nearby mountain ranges. Like the other Titans, Cyborg had found himself lost and alone in this red-earth world. He flipped open his arm computer and clicked on the transmitter button. "Robin? Beast Boy? Raven? Starfire? Does anybody read me?" he tried once again to send out a communication to the others but there was nothing but static coming through. He wasn't even sure if they could receive a message from him. "Man…nothing's getting through. Wonder what's causing all the interference…" he wondered aloud as he turned on his scanners so he could analyze his surroundings.

A quick scan of the soil revealed the answers to him. "Iron…lots and lots of iron. Man, the soil is almost 25 iron. The electromagnetic properties of the soil must be interfering with the communicators." He switched from his scanner to a compass and just as he had expected the needle on the compass was just spinning in a circle. "Peachy…no communications, no power outlets, and not even a blasted compass to help me out." There was nothing like having no sense of direction whatsoever to make getting lost that much more enjoyable. He probably would've had more luck going around blindfolded.

In the distance he could see some unnatural rising columns of black smoke. They were too contained to be from a wildfire…but then again he didn't know anything about this planet and it could just as easily be a natural source. However, if he knew his teammates, which he did, they'd likely go to such a location to investigate the possibility of a settlement. If he had to wager on them going anywhere it'd be to something as easy to spot as smoke and they would likely expect the same from the other Titans. It wasn't too far from him, less than an hour of traveling along the base of the mountains. Of course, Cyborg was working with the null hypothesis that his friends were on this red dust ball with him and that they could see the smoke from where they were as well.

It was going to be an awfully long hike. Times like these he wish he could fly like most of his other teammates. He kept his scanners on full sweep as he made his way along the rocky badlands. He decided to steer clear of the forests, which would be more direct but there was also a greater chance of getting ambushed in there. Out in the badlands, there was nothing but rocks, rocks, and the occasional shrub – not much room to hide out here. To mountains to his right towered high into the sky, disappearing into the dark clouds that hung around their peaks.

"Argh! Get this blasted thing off of me!" Cyborg heard some shouting in the distance, coming from just beyond the ridgeline ahead of him. It wasn't a familiar voice but it was better than nothing at the moment. Cyborg raced to the ridge to see what the commotion was all about. He saw two of the strange humanoid creatures that Starfire and Beast Boy had encountered earlier. The both had the same iron masks over their faces and while one was clad in armor identical to the ones Beast Boy encountered, the second one was instead wearing a large amount of black robes. Wrapped around the upper body of the knight-like creature was another, smaller creature also humanoid in shape but with several distinctions. Her barely clothed body was covered in a large number of bone-like ridges and projections, most of them concentrated on her limbs and head. Her hair was a pure white and extended well past her waistline and her ears were somewhat cat-like in appearance being small triangular folds of skin coming from higher up on her head. The most notable feature was her tail, which housed a number of barbed spikes on the end of it. While Cyborg wasn't familiar with the physiology of the creatures on this planet, the small creature was most likely female…it certainly had the curves of one. It was hissing and snarling fiercely as she gnawed on the iron mask of the knight.

"Hold still then," the other remarked before blasting the small creature off of his companion with a small bolt of energy. She landed on her feet however and charged once again at the two warriors. The knight stepped up and swung his sword at the woman but despite several swings he could not make contact with the woman – she was far too agile for him. Cyborg could only stand by and watch for the time being…uncertain of whether or not to actually do anything about this. It was a two-on-one fight, which certainly wasn't fair for the female…plus she seemed awfully young to be fighting. Cyborg, however, reminded himself that he knew nothing of the creatures on this world and for all he knew she could be older than the other two.

"Hold still dammit," the knight shouted as he swung again. The female ducked down and used her tail to knock out the knights at the legs. When she pounced, the knight instinctively swung his sword and struck the woman with the blunt side of his sword, knocking her over now.

"Quick, pin her!" The other warrior shouted as he leapt onto the female and held on tightly to her, pinning her to the ground.

"Damned nkrath…you beasts are more disgusting than the humans," the knight grunted as he got back to his feet and readied himself to deal the killing blow. Unfortunately for him though, Cyborg heard that little remark and concluded that they were not the good guys in this situation. A precision blast with his sonic cannon bested the knight easily as both warriors were caught by surprise by the intervention.

"Hey, why don't you try picking on somebody your own size?" Cyborg shouted as he slid down the rock ledge to challenge the two warriors. The robed warrior quickly changed his focus from the woman to Cyborg, charging an energy bolt in one hand only to be gunned down by a second blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon. "Ohhh, too slow!"

"We will have to pull back for now," the knight spoke to his comrade as the two slowly got back to their feet.

"Agreed. The master must be informed of this," the other answered before the two were surrounded in a bright light and teleported away.

"This better not come back and bite me in the butt," Cyborg sighed as he realized he probably got himself involved in something that was much bigger than just a couple of weirdos picking on a little girl. Speaking of which, Cyborg looked over to the young woman, who was now looking at Cyborg with a very curious expression. "Uh…hi there," Cyborg smiled politely, hoping she was friendlier than the others. Running with all four limbs, she raced up to Cyborg and then…began sniffing his feet? Cyborg tried not to freak out when she began sniffing at him like some sort of curious animal…which she probably a bit. "H-hey there…is this how you people say hi to others?" Cyborg stammered, watching as the girl started climbing onto him and began sniffing almost every inch of his body. Now this was just getting weird so Cyborg promptly grabbed the girl by the shoulders and pulled her off of him.

"That's enough of that!" Cyborg remarked, holding the girl off the ground and just trying to get an understanding of who…or what this thing was. She was pretty small…probably a bit smaller than Raven in fact. She just looked at him for a moment and blinked curiously before leaning closer and licking Cyborg right on the nose. "Great…I just rescued a cat…thing…" Cyborg sighed.

"What's a cat?" she replied.

"Whoa! You can talk?"

"Yes. Should I not?"

"I…uh, just wasn't expecting it since you didn't say anything up until now." Well this was certainly an embarrassing situation.

"Though you saved my life, one must still be cautious of approaching new figures…especially one so strange as yourself. But I have decided that you are not a danger," she explained and smiled brightly to him, much to his relief. "My name is Terubia of the Nkrath, who might you be o' strange man of metal?"

"Name's Cyborg," he introduced himself as he set the young girl on the ground. "I know this is going to sound weird but…where am I?"

"The only thing that I find weird is the number of outlanders that have been showing up in this land. You are on Daluram, more specifically the central Kargora province. I know this is a bit hasty but if you wish to talk we should probably do it someplace a little safer."

"I'd love to but I've got to find my friends. I figured the source of those smoke columns over there would be a good place to start looking," Cyborg explained to her. As much as he'd like to learn more about this place he couldn't waste time in finding his friends. The young girl just looked in the direction that Cyborg pointed and shook her head.

"You'd be best to avoid that place. That smoke is coming from Shankrisha Citadel. It is where the two Balor you blasted have retreated. You can go if you wish to shorten your life span but I would advise against it." Cyborg just sighed after listening to the girl's explanation. He had a feeling that helping her out would come back to bite him in the butt. He had to make enemies of the wrong people. "Now like I said, you should follow me if you wish to survive in this land," Terubia motioned for him to follow her as she hurried to the woods on all four. There wasn't much left for him to do at this point so he followed her along into the woods. She didn't seem to be waiting up for him as she was moving quickly through the trees and only with the use of his scanners was he able to keep track of her as she moved. After quite a bit of weaving through the trees, Terubia slowed down and lead Cyborg into a small cave that was hidden beneath several large bushes. It was dark but thankfully he had his own light source so he could make his way down the stone steps that took him deeper into the earth where Terubia was waiting for him.

"Uh…nice place you have here," Cyborg commented as he found himself in a large chamber where Terubia was sitting on the ground waiting for him. There was nothing but rocks and some stores of fruit and meat scattered around the cave, which she called home.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for having to usher you so far off your path, but the Balor would return for me and in larger numbers."

"Right…um, what's a Balor? I take it they were those knight things you were fighting."

"That is correct. The Balor are one of the four major demon clans on this world. The others are the Tauranton, the Yerwn, and the Nkrath."

"I take it the clans don't get along?"

"Yes and no. Typically they are at tense relations with one another but recently they have been…united under a new banner. The Balor are currently in power in the citadel and they rule over the other demon clans. They are incredibly strong and unlike the other clans a Balor is naturally gifted with the power of magic and so they use it to keep the other clans in line. My people preferred to keep on their own but when the Balor demanded we pledge loyalty to them we refused. As a result, **he** made an example out of my tribe to force the others into submitting. It was fifteen years ago and I was still just an infant when it happened. I have been fighting against the Balor ever since but there is little I can do aside from be an annoyance to them."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Cyborg said sympathetically. At least now he had an idea of where he was and what was going on. "Tell me, the Balor you were fighting made mention of humans and you said that there have been a lot of outlanders recently. Could you tell me more about that?"

"Um…well, I do not know much about it. The High Elder of the Balor is in allegiance with some great warrior known as Kronos, who has transported various humans from their world into this one. The Balor were told to round up any humans they find…and to execute them. There have not been many, but I fear that more like you will end up stranded her." At least now Cyborg knew how he got to this realm and that it was likely the others were here with him. But now he was concerned about their safety…these Balor demons would be hunting for them too. "How…many friends did you have when you came here?"

"There were six of us in total. Have…you seen or heard anything about any other new arrivals?"

"There was one. The Balor I was fighting against were out looking for you and your friends and I overheard them talking about one unique one. He said…something about a human that was part demon as well and that the High Elder of the Balor was going out personally to find this person."

"Raven!"

* * *

"This sucks! This sucks royally!" Blackfire cursed as she continued down the beaten path through the forest. She had been walking for the better part of an hour and she still had not found anything that closely resembled a familiar face. Like the other Titans, she was alone and she immensely lost right now. "Man…the one time I wouldn't mind having one of them around and they're nowhere to be found," she grumbled as she folded her arms across her chest. It was probably the first time she actually wished she had her sister with her right now. As much as she hated to admit it, there wasn't anybody else she'd rather have with her if things got ugly and violent. Or maybe Robin…Robin would be useful to have around. He seemed to have that know-how that would come in handy for surviving out in the wilderness. Unlike the other Titans, she hadn't noticed the smoke in the distance and would have had no real interest in going there even if she had noticed it.

"Wait a minute…man, why didn't I think of this earlier?" Blackfire came up with a simple, yet effective idea to figure out how to get out of this predicament, or at least try to get out of it. She charged up a starbolt, looked up into the sky, and let it fly it. Hopefully the other Titans would notice her makeshift flare and come running to her…that's if they even cared about finding her. Only a few moments after firing the starbolt, she heard an explosion and looked up to see a bird-like creature falling from the sky and crashing into the trees. "Opps…" she sighed to herself. A bad time for a lucky shot…

Or so she thought as the explosion caught the attention of the last of the Titans. Out of the bushes, the Boy Wonder himself arrived on the scene and found at least one of his 'comrades', though it was the last person he wanted to run into.

"Blackfire!" she called out upon seeing the Tamaranean.

"Oh great, it's you…" she sarcastically retorted as she looked back to him. "I suppose you'll have to do. Wouldn't happen to know what the heck is going on?"

"Not really…" Robin sighed lightly. "After Kronos cast that weird spell at the end I found myself on top of a pile of rocks. I tried the communicators but they weren't getting a signal here so I decided to start searching for the others. I heard your starbolt and now I'm here. Why the heck did you shoot a bird anyways?"

"It was an accident dammit!"

"Sure…whatever you say. Have you seen the others?"

"Afraid you're the first one I've seen. Guess that means the two of us will be roughing it out in the woods for the next little while," she smirked in a bit of a playful, suggestive manner despite the fact she was just toying with him at the moment. Robin just frowned, as he didn't like how Blackfire wasn't taking the situation very seriously. Unlike the others though, Blackfire was used to being on her own on strange new worlds. Of course, most of them had been charted already but nonetheless she a wanderer by nature and this planet was just another world for her to explore and expand her skills upon.

"Listen, Blackfire…we need to find the others. I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Oh lighten up, how bad could this place be?"

"Blackfire! Be serious for a change, we're stuck here while that Kronos guy is back in Jump City doing who knows what."

"Be serious? Listen if anything you just need to take things less seriously. Didn't you notice how badly I roughed him up at the end? He's not going to be going anywhere for a long time after that kind of pummeling."

"That's not the point. We could be stuck here for days…weeks even and excuse me if I don't consider your word to be exactly something to be relied upon."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"You haven't exactly been honest with us in the past and not to mention you're arrogant as hell," Robin snapped back.

"Oh look who's talking buster! If it weren't for me you would've been laying face down on the ground like your friends! I did what the rest of you couldn't do."

"Yeah, after the five of us soften him up for you. You wouldn't have done any better if you had fought alongside the rest of us!"  
"You told me to wait!"

"That's cause I still didn't trust you at that point! In fact, I still don't have any reason to trust you now. How convenient you show up, lead us to that warehouse, and now we're all on a strange planet."

Blackfire just went silent for a moment before her eyes began to glow pink. "How dare you accuse me of such an act. Even if I were plotting against you I wouldn't go ahead and get myself pulled along into that portal with the rest of you slug heads, I would've just let him pound your head in like tent stakes! Why can't you once just believe that I'm actually not that bad a of a person?"

"Because all I've seen was you be on some sort of personal vendetta against Starfire. She has done nothing but be a loving sister and you have repaid her with lies and betrayal!"

"Bull-f---ing-shit!" Blackfire shouted angrily and punched the large boulder that was right next to her, putting a fist-sized hole into. "Maybe if you just once tried to actually listen to my side of the story instead of just automatically taking her side you'd understand a little bit better the kind of shit I had to put up with for fifteen years!"

"Try me!"

Blackfire was about to retort when there came a low rumbling from beside her, followed by what sounded to be a very, very angry growl. The two teenagers immediately fell silent and looked to the boulder next to them, which was starting to move! The earth shook as the rock began to come to life – arms uncurling from beneath its body and a giant made of stone rose from the earth. More than twenty feet high and composed entirely of rock and iron, the hulking giant turned to look at the person who had just attacked it. Robin and Blackfire's eyes just widened in shock as the towering creature looked down at them angrily, growling once more.

"My horoscope warned me about taking my anger out on the earth…didn't think this would happen…" Blackfire muttered as the giant reached over and pulled a tree out of the ground like it was a weed.

"I think now would be a good time to run…"


	7. Chapter 7: Hero of Daluram

**Chapter Seven: Hero of Daluram**

**"Beast Boy!"** Starfire shouted as she watched her friend hit the ground hard after being struck down by a monster of a right hook. He was knocked senseless by the sheer power of the massive Tauranton. The two accompanying Balor knights hadn't even stepped into the fight yet, letting their walking tank of a companion do all the dirty work for them. After all, the Tauranton were built for fighting so might as well send them to do the dangerous jobs. Starfire ran to her friend's aid but there was little she could do with the three demons looming nearby.

"Now will you be smart enough to surrender or shall I have to 'convince' you as well?" the Tauranton gloated as he stepped towards the much smaller Tamaranean. The two Balors in the back just chuckled as they watched their comrade move in on Starfire. The fight hadn't even been going on for more than a minute and Beast Boy was already KO'd by the Tauranton and the demons were expecting an even shorter fight from the girl. Like most opponents, they underestimated Starfire's strength and resilience – their mistake.

"I will not go quietly with those who harm my friends," Starfire growled in response, her eyes flashing green before firing a beam into the Tauranton, catching him by surprise. He growled in pain as he stumbled back, giving Starfire plenty of room as she flew straight up to him and showed him what a real punch was like with a powerful uppercut. The mighty Tauranton was toppled over like a domino. The two Balor knights stared dumbfounded at their defeated comrade before one unsheathed his weapon.

"Insolent little worm!"

"Hold it, I shall handle this," the other knight stopped his companion and stepped forward. Judging by how promptly the other conceded Starfire had a feeling that the one she was dealing with now was of a higher position than the other. "Impressive young one…not many people can defeat a Tauranton that quickly. You are much stronger than you appear."

"Yes, I have heard that many times already," Starfire waited for the other warrior to make a move before she did anything. His stride, his posture, and how high he held his head up told Starfire that this demon was extremely confident in his abilities and most likely more dangerous than the Tauranton.

"What is your name?"

"Starfire."

"Starfire…" he repeated, as if just testing the name out. "I shall be certain to remember that name. I am Necrosis, Praetor of the Kargora province. Now the formalities are out of the way…" The demon unsheathed his sword, which was slightly larger and wider than the other knight's blade, and closed the gap between them with a single bound. Starfire dove to the side just in time to avoid becoming skewered on his sword, which instead drove straight into the ground.

He pulled his blade out of the ground and pressed the attack, swinging and thrusting his sword with speed and precision. Starfire was just barely managing to keep one step ahead of his attacks but she worried how long she'd be able to keep up the dodging without having an opportunity to counter-attack. Their movements were like a well-choreographed dance routine – neither one missing a step as their bodies twisted and curved around one another in this contest of might. The only time Starfire managed to actually strike back at Necrosis was during a very close encounter that had both combatants side-stepping in tight circles around each other trying to get a strike in from behind. All she could must was a relatively weak strike to the chest, but it was enough to force him to back up and give Starfire a chance to recover. She doubted it even hurt her opponent considering it was a blow straight into the armor.

"Not bad at all, though you have yet to really attack me," Necrosis replied. She could dodge his blade and hit his body, but she had yet to prove that she could actually hurt him or beat him.

"You should be wary of what you wish for," Starfire warned as she gave him what he wanted and launched an attack with a pair of starbolts. However, it seemed that Necrosis was more prepared for it than she had initially anticipated. He brought his blade up at a shallow angle and used the flat side of his blade to ricochet the starbolts away from him. She let the starbolts serve as a distraction then as she quickly flew into and began to swing away at her opponent. It was similar to moments ago except with the rolls reversed as now Necrosis began weaving through Starfire's attacks and using the flat side of his sword to occasionally block Starfire's punches and kicks.

When he finally saw his opportunity, Necrosis began his counter-attacking. The warriors began a more even battle, exchanging swings and evasions but neither succeeding in scoring a hit on the other opponent with the exception of the occasional shove to put some distance between them. Starfire knew she would have to disarm him if she were going to beat him – his sword served too well as a shield and a weapon in his hands and he were using it to deflect her starbolts with little difficulty. However, any attack she aimed to try and disarm him, his grip upon his blade was firm and unbreakable by her attempts. She figured he already knew her strategy of attempting to disarm him and was consciously limiting her opportunities to try and knock it out.

But nobody was perfect and Starfire was beginning to notice a bit of a pattern in his method of attack. A horizontal swing was typically followed by a thrust if she avoided the first strike by jumping back. She would bait him into thrusting by presenting him with a prime opportunity to do so, jumping back to avoid a horizontal swing. Almost like clockwork, he thrust his blade forward and Starfire caught him by surprise by jumping up instead of to the side. A short hop and she landed on the flat side of his sword, almost as if to just taunt a little bit, before blasting him square in the chest with an eyebeam. Necrosis was toppled over with the precision blast and his sword fell to the ground Starfire's feet.

"Ugh…very impressive," Necrosis groaned as he slowly got back to his feet.

"I would recommend that you leave now before I am forced to hurt you further," Starfire warned as she stepped closer and began charging a starbolt in each hand.

"You haven't won yet."

"You are unarmed and I have the advantage of strength and range. You cannot win," Starfire warned once again, taking another step, which forced Necrosis to take a few back himself. She could see he was on the ropes but he was right in that she wasn't victorious just yet. When cornered, people became even more dangerous than before.

"Quite the contrary Miss Starfire," Necrosis said as he just outstretched one hand towards Starfire. At first, she was expecting him to launch some sort of energy attack at her but nothing happening right away nor was there any sign of him charging up some sort of projectile. Of course, she also couldn't see behind her and that he was actually calling to his sword, which flew off the ground and the handle struck Starfire in the back of the head as it flew back into Necrosis' hand. She was KO'd in one hit. "Take them back to the citadel…they can join the others."

* * *

"Quite an odd pair aren't zey?" Starfire could just barely make out an unfamiliar female voice with a mild French accent mixed into it. Her head was throbbing and she felt very, very weak at the moment – too weak to even open her eyes just yet. Was she even conscious though? She couldn't quite tell…she could just be dreaming.

"Well the jailer who brought them in was grumbling something fierce about them, so they're probably pretty strong to have survived this long," another distinct voice spoke; it belonged a young man and had a slight German accent with it. "It's a nasty hit on the back of her…hopefully she doesn't have a concussion because of it."

"Could zey be of assistance?"

"I hope so. They look vaguely familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it just yet…"

"Oi! Ze green one ees starting to come around!"

His eyes slowly fluttered back open to find himself in yet another set of surroundings. However, instead of grass and trees, he was staring up at a carved stoned ceiling and surrounding on three sides by stonewalls. The surroundings weren't important to him at the moment as he saw a teenaged girl kneeling down beside him along with a young man standing close by. They both looked to be in their late teens and likely a bit older than Beast Boy or Starfire. The girl had short brown hair with a red leather vest and a white sweater underneath it. Black leather trousers and knee high white boots finished off her rather unusual wardrobe but the bright smile on her face kept Beast Boy calm for the moment.

"Bonjour, welcome back to ze world of the conscious," she grinned brightly to him.

"Ughh…oooohh…what happened?" Beast Boy groaned lightly.

"You got your butts whooped by some demons that's what. Now you're stuck here with us," the young man answered. His dress attire was even more unusual as he had some robes overtop of some polymer armor padding and a tactical vest. A large gold cross was imprinted onto his chest armor and several empty pockets and slings on the leather straps over his body suggested that a significant amount of his equipment was missing at the moment. Unlike his compatriot, the young man had a much more stern vigil to him…very, very serious and somewhat reminded Beast Boy of Robin in a way. His hair was a platinum blonde and cut extremely short and he stood with a sort of authority that Beast Boy was curious about.

"Where am I anyways?"

"This is the Shankrisha citadel…and you're now being held prisoner along with us by the demons," the young man answered.

* * *

"Okay…who are you and how do you know my name?" Raven asked, still keeping herself ready for more violence just in case this particular person wasn't friendly either. Sure she had no reason to suspect that he would have hostile intentions against her but when you are in an unknown realm you had to be extremely cautious. The person before her just chuckled softly as he relaxed his posture and took a few steps towards Raven.

"A young girl of your stature does not just pop into a person's realm without going unnoticed," the person spoke, though it didn't serve to answer any of Raven's questions yet. "I only know you by reputation, daughter of Trigon…" Raven mentally sighed when she heard those last three little words. Her heritage was not something that she was particularly proud of nor did she like having to be reminded of who her father was. Of course, now it begged the question as to how he knew that fact, since it wasn't common knowledge to anybody except those from Azarath or those that had served Trigon in the past. Since this person was definitely not from Azarath that left little options left for her.

"And how do you know my father?" Raven spoke, her suspicions quite obvious in the tone of her voice.

"Does the name Napharak Trnorbane ring a bell?"

Raven's eyes widened at the sound of the name along with her jaw dropping for an instant. "Y-you're Napharak Trnorbane? **The** Napharak Trnorbane?"

Napharak just chuckled once again to himself, getting exactly the response that he was anticipating from the young girl. He simply nodded his head slowly. "As you can see you know me just about as much as I know you. In fact, I am fairly certain that you know me better than I know of you."

"Of course I know of you. You…you're the only other person who's ever gone up against Trigon and won."

"I wouldn't exactly call sealing your entire planet and star in an alternate dimension to be a victory but I suppose that is how the history books wrote about it," Napharak replied with much modesty, even though said history books described him as a somewhat cocky fellow who was very much an opportunist.

"Wait…does this mean I'm actually in Daluram? I thought you sealed this dimension off so nobody would be able to invade."

"Well I did a long time ago. Once I heard about Trigon's defeat I didn't think there would be any need to keep such a seal up and we can start being a part of the universe once more. Unfortunately, it would seem that somebody has our address and has been dumping people into my realm. Now as interesting as this chat is I'm afraid that if we linger any longer we might end up attracting more rizzaks. Would the lady care for an escort to safer territory?"

"Um…a-alright," Raven replied a little nervously. When she was younger, Napharak was mentioned numerous times in several books that she still owns. The tales of the hero of Daluram was one of her favourite stories actually, mostly because it kept her hopes up that one could defy Trigon and live to tell about it. For her, this was basically meeting a childhood hero of hers and he was certainly every bit that she had imagined him to be. If it weren't for the circumstances of her arrival in Daluram and the necessity of finding her friends, she might have actually enjoyed spending some time in this realm. However, finding her friends was priority but perhaps Napharak could help her with that…or at least she hoped he could.

"If I may be so bold, may I put my personal residence for your use during your stay in Daluram?"

"I suppose that would be better than staying out in the wild. But…um, I came here with some friends and I don't know where they are. I really would like to find them and perhaps find a way to get back to my home."

"Then perhaps I could be of assistance but I digress…let us be off," Napharak bowed politely before motioning for Raven to follow along with him. Raven was grateful for her stroke of luck in finding somebody who was hospitable and she hoped that her companions were having luck in finding each other. Who knows, they may have already gotten together and were now out looking for her. Napharak lead her along a small path through the woods for a short distance where his steed was waiting for him. It was similar to a horse with the same general body shape though it was slightly larger and actually had an extra pair of legs. It also didn't look as friendly as a horse, having two long horns running down the side of its head. But with a world filled with so many hostile beasts, it made sense that the creatures here were built primarily to fight and defend. Napharak mounted his steed before offering a gloved hand out to Raven.

It was strange…the whole situation felt like something out a fairy tale - a very dark and twisted fairy tale but a fairy tale nonetheless. Here was Raven lost and alone in the wilderness of a strange land, rescued by a lone knight in not-so-shining armor, and now being offered an escort back to his 'palace'. Perhaps if she were into those sort of things, she might have found a sort of romantic undertone to this whole situation, but right now she was more interested in figuring out how to find her friends and get home. She placed her lithe hand into his much large palm and he promptly pulled her up onto the horse between himself and the reins. Taking hold of the reins, Napharak gave his steed a slight kick of his heels and it began a steady trot along the path.

"Tell me Raven, how did you end up in this realm?" Napharak asked with curiosity. Raven sighed lightly…she wish she knew. She had her suspicions but she couldn't confirm them. She explained what happened lately to her and her companions – their encounter with the man known as Kronos, the ensuing fight, and then how she woke up in Daluram. "Hm…yes, I see. An interesting situation," he nodded his head after listening to her tale. "If your friends are in Daluram, we would do well to find them soon. As I'm sure you are aware, there are many dangers in this land and they only get worse when the night falls upon these lands. The most dangerous beasts are nocturnal and it is too dangerous to even send patrols out at night."

"Then we will have to find them before then," Raven said with a bit more urgency in her voice. "I mean…um, I would…really appreciate it if you could help me find my friends."

"And I shall lend what assistance I can. But unfortunately, Daluram is very large and I can only spare so many patrols. Not to mention that any patrols I send for them would have to wait until tomorrow morning – nightfall is almost upon us. But…if your friends are as strong as you have made them seem, I have nothing but confidence that they will be able to find safety until tomorrow morning."

"I hope they're okay…" Raven sighed to herself.


	8. Chapter 8: Behind Blue Eyes

**Chapter Eight: Behind Blue Eyes**

**"This is all your fault Blackfire!"**

"My fault? You're the one who provoked me!"

"Move!" Robin directed Blackfire's attention upwards to the giant treetrunk that was coming straight down at them. The two teens dove in opposite directions to avoid being crushed like insects beneath the wood. The giant had been swinging the plucked tree as a club in an attempt to crushed the two of them, which it saw as the aggressors in this conflict. Blackfire and Robin, however, have been spending more time arguing with each other rather than trying to deal with this conflict. Apparently pointing the finger was more important to them than stopping the rampaging giant. "If I recall correctly, that thing is angry at your for punching a hole into its skin!"

"Well excuse me for taking my anger out on a rock instead of your face!" Blackfire retorted angrily just before they both ducked to avoid another swing from the tree club. "How was I supposed to know that it was actually a living thing and more importantly a very large and very angry one to boot? Would you rather I have punched you in the face instead?"

Robin performed a diving roll as he avoided another attack from the mountain giant, coming out of his roll right in front of Blackfire and continuing right where he had left off. "You only lost your temper because you knew you had lost the argument," Robin argued, poking Blackfire at the top of her sternum a couple of times. She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him over to her opposite side as the mountain giant's club crushed the location he was just at.

"Maybe if you weren't so presumptuous all the time I wouldn't have gotten so angry. You know very well the subject of my relationship with Starfire is a very sensitive subject, especially for me. You went for the cheap shot right away in a malicious attempt to aggravate me. You wanted me to get pissed cause you knew if I attacked you then you would have all the reason in the world to try and kick my butt. And don't lie to me…you've been holding yourself back since the moment I arrived in the tower!"

"If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't look for a damn reason," Robin shouted back, shoving Blackfire back as the tree club landed right between the two arguing teenagers. The giant dragged the tree across the ground to try and hit Robin but he simply jumped over it to land in front of Blackfire. "But I restrained myself because Starfire wanted to give you another chance – a chance you don't deserve! It's only because I trust her that I gave you let you stay in our Tower for more than five seconds."

"Are you sure it's not just because you're too scared to try and argue further with her?" The tree came swinging across towards them, forcing both of them to jump into the air – Blackfire just flying upwards while Robin performed a graceful back flip over the tree.

"Now why would I be afraid of Starfire?"

"Because you like her obviously."

"W…where do you get that idea?" Robin nearly tripped over his words and hoped that his slight impediment didn't tip Blackfire off too much.

"Oooo, looks like Blackfire hit a soft spot with that last one," she teased mockingly as the two started a light jog towards the giant, running between his legs just so they could continue their argument without having to be interrupted by the noise of a tree trunk being slammed into the ground. "Come now Robin, you can fess up to me. I guess you must have a thing for the innocent naïve type cause you certainly don't seem to be interested in girls with confidence." As the two got closer to the giant, it tried to stomp on them but their constant zig-zag movement made it difficult for it to get even close to them.

"That's…that's preposterous! We're just friends," Robin insisted as the two constantly switched directions, mostly because Robin didn't want to be face to face with Blackfire but she kept catching up and stepping in front of him to force him to confront the issue.

"Really now? Then would you care to explain why you were the only one that was angry at the whole arranged marriage thing? The other Titans weren't as nearly as pissed off as you were." Robin just growled in response and changed direction once again to try and avoid her. How did an argument with him being primarily on the offensive suddenly get turned around and now he was on the defense.

"Don't change the subject!" Robin replied, trying to force the argument back to the original subject, which would put him on the offensive once again. "We're not talking about me and Starfire, we're talking about you!"

"What's there to talk about anymore? You hate me. I hate you. I have a nasty temper and I'm not afraid to use it. Anything else you'd like to add?" Robin's plan worked as Blackfire was immediately pulled back to the subject of herself. Now Robin could go back on the attack.

"How about you being just being a spoiled brat! All you're ever concerned about is yourself! Your interests, your goals, your wishes, and you don't care who you have to lie and manipulate in order to get it." The two stepped back and watched the tree slam the ground between them, which was quickly followed by another strike aimed at Blackfire that she easily stepped back out of the way.

"You're half-right there. The only thing important to me is me but I am certainly now a spoiled brat! If anybody Starfire is the one that's spoiled."

"The same sister that gave up being Grand Ruler of Tamaran so that she could be with her friends? Oh yeah, she's really selfish there. She only gave up absolute control of a planet so she could be with her friends," Robin retorted, stepping closer to Blackfire and avoiding another attack at the same time. "Did you notice how nobody seemed to be really bothered by the fact that you lost the crown to Starfire and got banished off the planet?"

"You just love the cheap shots don't you? Can't come up with something new so you just have to keep bringing up the past on me!"

"Because your past is what makes you who you are. All I've seen is crimes, hate, and selfishness. Why can't you just be more like your sister?"

Robin could tell he struck a nerve there as her eyes flashed pink immediately after hearing those words. A starbolt was charged in her hand but instead she launched it straight upwards to hit the tree club that was coming down at them again, blasting the weapon into splinters. "Don't you ever tell me to be more like her! We are nothing alike, we never will be, nor do I have any desire to be anything like that little goodie-two-shoe of a sister," Blackfire was quite angry as splinters rained down all around them. The giant was equally pissed off seeing as its weapon had just been destroyed by the young girl without her even so much as breaking a sweat. It let out a monstrous roar at them both – creating such resonance that it shook both of them to their very cores.

However, both of them merely turned to look at the giant with equally annoyed looks on their faces. "Oh piss off!" They both shouted in unison. Robin pulled out a couple of explosive discs and Blackfire charged up a pair of starbolts and the two struck the stone giant in the face with their attacks. The sheer force of the attacks and the fact that they struck the weakest point on its entire body, the giant roared in pain before it fell over backwards unconscious. Robin and Blackfire, however, went back to their little argument.

At this point, Robin was starting to get a better understanding at the enigmatic young Tamaranean known as Blackfire – seeing more then just what she showed the world but understanding what underneath it all. The two remained silent for a few moments, just eyeing each other up and trying to figure out what the other person was planning next. Robin finally decided to speak up. "What happened to you Blackfire? What happened to the older sister that Starfire used to look up to and speak with such admiration?" Robin decided to take a different strategy, approaching Blackfire with a more appealing tone rather than an angry one…namely because he wanted to avoid provoking her into a fight.

"And why would you care? I'm just a criminal, remember?" Blackfire snapped back, still agitated. "Just leave me alone, got it? I'll find my own way out of this hell hole." With a light scoff, Blackfire turned about face and went on her way in particular direction.

"I don't think going out on your own is the best idea Blackfire."

"Screw off, you just want me to stick around so you can piss me off some more," Blackfire answered back, not even looking back at Robin. She wasn't going to stay here and take that kind of abuse from him. "I can take care of myself thank you very much. You should be more worried about yourself." Robin was just about to let her go on her own when he thought he saw something moving in the bushes scattered amongst the trees. He thought it was nothing until something pounced out of the bushes with a loud snarl and tackled Blackfire right off the path.

"Blackfire!" Robin shouted as he raced to assist his…associate. He found her in the bushes struggling with the strange beast. It had a body form similar to a canine except that it was closer to the size of a lion than any canine species. Its body was covered in a pitch-black fur with burning red eyes and two large tusks jutting forward from the sides of its lower jaw. The big challenge though, as Blackfire had discovered, was the four large tentacles that came from its back and were currently in the process of wrestling with Blackfire. One was wrapped around her neck, preventing her from getting a shot off with her eye beams. Her hands were too preoccupied keeping its jaws from clamping down upon her to strike back. Its other tentacles wrapped around her waist and threw her upwards into the air in an attempt to throw off her defenses. Blackfire cursed under her breath as she landed face down the ground, leaving her virtually defenseless for a short period of time. Blackfire tried to scramble away but then she felt a sharp pain shot through her leg as the beast clamped its jaws down around the calf of her right leg.

"Argh! Get off of me!" Blackfire shrieked as she launched a starbolt at point-blank range into the beast's head, knocking it off of her for the moment. Robin entered the fight now, drawing out his bo staff and striking the beast without hesitation. Twirling his staff in his hands, Robin didn't even let the beast get back to its feet before striking it several times over with great fury. Proving to be a dangerous target, the creature beat a hasty retreat – this meal was far more effort than it could ever be worth.

"Are you okay Blackfire?" Robin asked, putting his weapon away and kneeling down next to his wounded companion. She had a noticeable pained expression on her face as she put pressure on the teeth marks that tore through the armor and cloth. The bleeding wasn't too bad but for some reason it was a lot more painful than it looked. The odd thing was for a beast that size it's teeth were awfully small…probably slightly smaller than a wolf's teeth but it did make up for them in quantity.

"I'll be fine," she groaned indignantly. "I could've handled that on my own."

"Sure. You had it right where you wanted it. We should stick together...even if we do argue a lot." Not one to turn his back on somebody in need, even if he did hate her. "Here…let me help with that," Robin said as he reached into his belt and pulled out a small roll of gauze.

"Alright…" she reluctantly agreed. Slowly, Robin removed her boot and the armor plating around the wound before wrapping the injury in the gauze. The bleeding was mild at best and it should heal over in a couple of days…though it still stung and was a little bit swollen already. Once he was done, he let Blackfire slip her boot back on but decided to not replace the few pieces of armor as to keep the pressure off of the swelling.

"Can you still walk?" he asked as he extended a hand out to her

Blackfire just looked at him for a moment, battling between humility and pride and trying to decide which was more important right now. Eventually, she sided with humility and took his hand without saying a word. Robin didn't even ask if she wanted help as he put her arm around his shoulder and supported her body weight. Oddly enough, Blackfire didn't complain – her leg was hurting right now and perhaps keeping her weight off of it would be a good idea. There movement would be significantly slowed but they needed to stick together and as much as Blackfire didn't want to admit it…she needed help right now.

"We're going to need to find shelter soon. If this is how bad it is in the day I would dread to see what it's like at night," Robin commented, mostly to himself, as the pair slowly started making their way along the beaten path. Robin had seen the smoke in the distance and it was tempting to head there but he didn't know if he'd be able to make it there any time soon with Blackfire in her current condition.

* * *

"Ugh…I'm not feeling too good Robin…" Blackfire groaned softly. He had noticed that she had been putting more and more weight on him as they progressed through the woods. It had only a little less than half an hour but she was already limping a lot worse than before and she was groaning uncomfortably. Robin didn't know what to make of it so he kept pressing on. They couldn't get stuck out in the middle of nowhere. He could see the sun in the distance beginning to set upon the horizon. It seemed like the days were quite a bit shorter on this world than back at home.

"Just hang in there," Robin said quietly. He couldn't believe he was actually encouraging her. "We'll set up camp the moment I can find a safe place for us to sleep." So far it had been mostly woods, woods, and more woods with only a few scattered rock formations that were of no use to them.

"I…I can't feel my leg…" she murmured in a weak voice before her other leg gave out underneath her and she almost fell to the ground. Robin's quick reflexes saved her from a nasty bump on the head. He carefully lowered her down and leaned her up against his knee.

"Blackfire! Pull it together Blackfire…I can't have you passing out on me now," Robin tried to get some response out of her but she seemed to be having trouble just keeping her eyes open. He couldn't quite understand what was wrong with her…well he had a suspicion so he quickly checked on Blackfire's wound. He took off her boot and slowly unwrapped the gauze from around the swollen wound. The skin around several of the teeth marks had darkened slightly and the wounds around the teeth marks had barely scabbed over despite all the time. He quickly wrapped it back up with a fresh wrap of gauze before trying once again to get Blackfire's attention. This time, she slowly came too; both eyes were slightly glassy and only half-open but she was definitely awake.

"Wha…what happened…" she murmured.

"There's something wrong with your wound. It's…not healing right. It's moving too quickly to be an infection…I think that creature poisoned you."

"Don't supposed…you have some universal…antidote in that fancy belt of yours?"

"I…I don't have anything I can do to treat this."

"Well…you know what that means. I'm going to get worse and then…I either get better as my body eliminates the toxins…or I keep getting worse and die. Not too thrilled on that second one…"

"Come on, we need to get you someplace safe," Robin sighed. Things had taken an ugly turn for the worst and there was little he could do to help it. On his first attempt to get Blackfire on her feet she simply collapsed back to the ground. He had no choice but to pick up Blackfire and carry her as he searched for a safe place to set camp.

* * *

It took some time but Robin managed to find a small cave that they could use for the night. It was getting dark outside and Robin heard a fair number of sounds that did sounded very, very hostile. The cave would keep them safe for the night and in the morning they could continue on their way…that's if they were in any better condition tomorrow morning. Robin had gathered some firewood from outside the cave and built a small fire to keep them warm. It got very cold at night in Daluram and they would need the heat without any extra clothing to keep them warm.

"How are you feeling Blackfire?" Robin asked, checking up on his companion. She seemed to be getting worse unfortunately but they both knew that was going to happen. If she were going to get better on her own, she'd likely get a lot worse before she got better. It was a gamble since she was not native to this planet…she might be more resistant or more susceptible to the poison. Only time would answer his concerns.

"I…I'm cold…" she weakly answered, shivering slightly. She was already pretty close to the fire and yet she still shivered. Robin sighed softly and sympathetically. This was all his fault…if he hadn't kept on with that stupid argument she wouldn't have gone off on her own and got ambushed. He removed his cape and lay it overtop of Blackfire. "Thank you…" It was strange…perhaps now he was actually seeing a more honest side to Blackfire than ever before. He just wished the circumstances were better. Confronted with her own mortality, the lies and pride seemed to have melted off.

"Just hang in there, you can beat this thing," Robin said supportively as he sat down next to her. Her breathing had become labored and wheezy lately, which meant her airway was beginning to narrow. "You can beat this thing."

"Don't placate me Robin," Blackfire muttered slowly before falling silent for a while. "I guess they were right…all along…"

"Uh…who were right?"

"Everyone. Everybody since day one. It was always…'look after your sister', 'you should've paid more attention to your sister', 'be more like your sister', 'if only you were more like your sister'…she was always the favourite. Always."

Robin was caught a bit off guard by Blackfire's sudden confession. Was this what started their own feud? Could something so…ordinary have escalated into a rivalry of their proportion? "I'm…I'm sure that's not true Blackfire. You're uh…a good person. You certainly know a lot about…well, just about everything."

"Cute…" Blackfire strained on a small chuckle. "You're cute when you're lying…"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is."

"Oh really?" she managed a slightly smirk before a few dry coughs. "I…I was the first born of the Tamaranean royal family and the first princess in nearly a century. It…was supposed to be a day of jubilation…but instead…disaster occurred. The Citadel Empire…who have always been enemies of Tamaran…attack the city of Kysarr the day I was born. They did it all because of me…to 'put the Tamaraneans' back in their place as they put it. More than three thousand people died in the attack…it was one of the worst disasters to have plagued my home in centuries. All because of me…"

"Blackfire, you can't blame yourself for that. You didn't do anything."

"I don't blame myself…but unfortunately everybody else does. Why do you think Starfire was named next in line for the throne? It's…because the people hated me. They reviled me. They saw me as everything they hated about themselves and pressured my parents into naming Starfire the heir to the throne. They couldn't just get rid of me though…so they told me to help look after Starfire until she was old enough. The eldest child of the royal family…reduced to being a glorified babysitter. I…did everything I could to show them that I wasn't the failure they thought I was. That's why I trained in the martial arts…I figured the only thing they would understand was strength...so I sought to be the best. But…nothing was ever good enough for them. No matter how many times I bailed Starfire out of trouble I was punished instead of praised…I might not have even been involved and they'd still tell me I should've been paying more attention to her…should've been doing a better job of looking out for her. Ironic…that the person I hated most of all…was the only person who ever really saw me for who I was…the only person I ever really considered a friend. I would always be in her shadow…always be compared to her…always told to be more like her. I left home once I was old enough…I needed to get away from it all. I just…I just wanted…"

She trailed off as her voice grew weaker and then silence fell upon the cave. "Blackfire!" Robin feared the worst when he realized she wasn't speaking anymore. When he checked though she was still breathing…but just barely. She was unconscious now…and whether or not she would live would depend if she ever woke up again. Robin sighed in defeat…now finally understanding the woman behind Blackfire. Everything was just falling into place in his mind – everything she did just seemed to make more sense now. As much as he hated to admit it…he felt…sorry for her. Was this why Starfire was so convinced that Blackfire could still be saved? Was that why Starfire invited her into their home? Did she simply want to try and make a new home for her? He still had questions but now he was alone. He curled up by the fire and just kept an eye on Blackfire and hoped for the best.


	9. Chapter 9: A Plan is Formed

**Chapter Nine: A Plan is Formed**

**"So you went up against Kronos, too?"** the young man rhetorically remarked after Starfire and Beast Boy shared their story of their arrival in Daluram. Starfire and Beast Boy had spent the past hour getting more acquainted with their new cellmates while they remained locked in the prisons of the Shankrisha citadel. Both Starfire and Beast Boy had attempted a small plan of escaping the cell but both of them discovered that the cell they were in was far more than just stone and steel. The cell was designed to hold powerful demons and wizards so the relative meager powers of both Starfire and Beast Boy were no match for the bars and enchantments holding them in. Inside the cell, the powerful enchantments cast around the cell prevented anyone from using any sort of unnatural power – Beast Boy could not alter his form nor could Starfire shoot any starbolts.

"Yeah and we got out butts handed to us on silver platters. Whoever that dude is, he's got more tricks up his sleeve than Slade…guy had us in the palm of his hand the whole time," Beast Boy answered with much annoyance lacing the tone of his voice.

"We…had similar results as well," the young man answered. His name was Tyrael Veritas, better known as Tyrael the Defender – paladin of the Sacred Order of the Blessed Sword. He was a member of a religious order that served and protected most of mainland Europe with a huge network of agents, priests, monks, templar knights, and paladins. Tyrael was one of their best paladins and, as a result, was sent on a mission to stop Kronos. Like most of his assignments, he was only really given an objective and details of who he was stopping or saving was usually vague or non-existent, which was an unfortunate side-effect of when your missions are relayed by 'prophets'. The advantage was, of course, he was told before Kronos had even arrived and he knew where to go and who to seek help from. However, even with his training and magic Tyrael did not stand much of a chance against the might of Kronos.

"Similar? More like zey got it easy. We troused like zere was no tomorrow…which zere almost wasn't for us," Tyrael's companion, Jacqueline L'Armor, added. A small-time hero of France, Jacqueline was the seventh member of her family line to be a hero of France and bearing the title 'Jack of all Trades', which reflected their versatility in all situations. Jacqueline was well known at being able to adapt to any situation with excellent knowledge in almost all fields you'd run into while stopping evil - everything from combat tactics and computer hacking to nuclear physics and metaphysics. Jacqueline had been trained since she was a kid by her father, Jacque the 6th, to take up the title of 'Jack of all Trades', but she tends to just stick to the name Jacqueline both on and off duty.

Tyrael's 'prophecy', when one of his order's agents relayed the mission details to him, told him to seek out Jacqueline in France before confronting Tyrael. Personally, Tyrael preferred to work on his own but he was never one to doubt the word of the prophets. Together, Jacqueline and Tyrael attempted to stop Kronos before he crossed the Atlantic Ocean but failed and were sent to Daluram instead. Shortly after their arrival, having already been weakened by Kronos, they were captured by the demon inhabitants of this world and taken to Shankrisha citadel where they had remained ever since. They had lost track of time within the stone confines of the citadel…it could've been weeks or days, they could no longer tell.

"Could you tell us what you know about this realm? Hopefully a way to get back home," Starfire inquired. Unfortunately, the saddened sigh from Tyrael hinted that there wasn't a very good answer to that question.

"All I can tell you is what I overhear from the guards. From what I can piece together, Daluram contains four major demon clans who have until recently be in a great deal of conflict for control over this realm. Kronos came along and joined one of the clans and assisted in putting them into power in exchange for their loyalty. With the major demon clan in power - the Balor I believe they are called – the lesser clans would fall into place and Kronos essentially gained the loyalty of the entire realm. The other clans are a bull-like clan known as the Taurantons, a dragon-like clan known as the Yerwn, and a cat-like clan known as the Nkrath," Tyrael paused in his explanation, sighing lightly to himself. "I had wondered what the prophets meant when they said I'd have to make some tough calls in this mission."

"You have mentioned those 'prophets' before Sir Tyrael, who are they?" Starfire asked.

"Oh…they're just people gifted with the ability to see into the future. They're very old and very wise men that direct the other members of my order and give them their missions and jobs. They…can be very cryptic at times, telling you what you need to hear and leaving out the things you shouldn't know yet. They probably knew Kronos would beat me on our first encounter…but I believe being sent here is a necessary part of defeating Kronos and so they didn't tell me I'd lose so that I would not be discouraged. I believe getting back to Earth will involve having to do a lot here…"

"You really think so?"  
"Yes…that is my belief. I have faith in the prophets, they have never steered me wrong in the past."

"Zere are too many demons for ze two of us to fight, but the four of us might be able to escape zis citadel," Jacqueline added, walking up to the bars and leaning against them. "Zen maybe we can find zose friends of yours and we can all get out of here together."

"Your help is greatly appreciated," Starfire smiled lightly, feeling a little bit better about the situation. The somewhat bleak situation seemed a bit more hopeful now. "Do you know of a way to escape this cell?"

"I have an idea, but we will need to wait until tomorrow morning to implement it," Tyrael smirked confidently and lowered his voice so only the inhabitants of the cell would hear him. "Get some rest, we're going to have one hell of a fight on our hands tomorrow."

* * *

"So let me get this straight, Kronos comes out of nowhere, signs up with the Balor clan, kicks out the old rulers, and makes the High Elder of the Balor the new ruler of Daluram?"

"Yes…that's pretty much what happened in a nutshell. That was more than fifteen years ago though, since then the High Elder of the Balor has spent a great deal of time cementing his power, wiping out anybody that might oppose him, and securing the loyalty of the other clans," Terubia expanded a bit more on Cyborg's recap of everything the two had been discussing thus far. They had remained in Terubia's cave for quite some time. While Cyborg knew he needed to look for his friends he didn't want to head back outside until he was certain he had all the facts straight and an idea of what to actually do.

"So…who exactly is this 'High Elder of the Balor' guy? What's he like?"

"He used to be great hero of Daluram. He might not have been the strongest, but he's always been one of the smartest. He's a cunning demon who knows how to use an opportunity to his advantage – he keeps his friends close and his enemies closer. He knows how to create order when needed and chaos where he wants. He…has brought a great deal of order and peace to Daluram and for once peace has been obtained without having to kill thousands of warriors…just slaughter one tribe. He has lost sight of who he once was…and has become nothing more than a pawn for this Kronos fellow you fight." Her voice was filled with a mixture of angry and disappointment. Long ago the High Elder of the Balor was a person of great respect, a hero to everyone…and now that hero is no more, at least not in Terubia's eyes. It was like the loss of the greatest thing that had ever happened in Daluram. "I don't care how much peace he has brought…he will pay for what he did to my tribe."

"Hey now Terubia, don't get too caught up in getting revenge on people. Believe me...I've been obsessed with getting back at people myself. It's not a pretty sight and you can't just let yourself be governed by hate for so long. I mean…what are you going to do after you avenge your tribe?"

"I probably won't," Terubia sighed lightly. "Shankrisha is locked down tight with hundred of guards on the outside and many more on the inside. I'd never even get close to him for a moment…and even then, he's become the most powerful demon in Daluram with the first and second now banished by Kronos. As strong as I am, I am no match for his magic…I probably wouldn't even get past his lieutenant, Necrosis."

Cyborg fell silent for a little while. He felt a little sorry for Terubia – not that she's lived such a harsh life but because she continues down a path of hate that he knows never leads to anything satisfying. She is the last of her tribe and she will likely die trying to avenge her family in vain. He wished there was something he could but he needed to find his friends and get back home. This was not his war but Terubia's vendetta and nothing more.

"It's a pointless fight that I can probably never win but…what else am I going to do at this point? It's not like I have anything else on this world."

"You can't leave?"

"I know a bit of magic, but interdimensional transport is kind of up there on the magic hierarchy. The only ones who'd know how to do that sort of stuff would be the sages of the Balor clan, and they're all in the citadel studying the ancient texts and stuff. They wouldn't help anybody unless the High Elder gave them the order to do so."

"You could come with us," Cyborg suggested in a very spontaneous move.

"What?" No surprise that Cyborg caught Terubia off-guard with his suggestion.

"My friend Raven does that dimensional transport stuff all the time. When we find her I'm sure we can take you along with us. You said you don't have anything else on this world, so why not try starting a new life on a different world." Cyborg knew it was a bit of a hasty suggestion and one with enormous consequences for Terubia. However, he couldn't just leave her here to die alone in a futile fight…he couldn't fight for her but he could show her that there was still a chance to get out of the vicious cycle of violence. The young demon just stared at Cyborg for a few moments almost as if testing to see if he was going to pull the rug out from under her but after several moments of silence, she had realized that he was being quite serious.

"Uhh…" she was at a loss for words, feeling her cheeks fluster all of a sudden. "T-that's very kind of you Cyborg…b-but I don't know if that'd be a great idea. B-besides, a number of seals were placed around Daluram to impede interdimensional travel. I don't know if you'd even be able to form a portal out of here without the right incantations."

"And who would know these incantations?"

"That'd be Napharak…the High of the Balor."

"I get the feeling he wouldn't be very interested in telling us if we just asked. Well…looks like you get your dream after all. If I'm going to get home, we're going to have to go after this Napharak dude." It would seem despite his best efforts he would get caught up in this war after all. So first he had to find his friends and then they can figure out how to get the incantations out of Napharak, which will likely require some sort of battle.

"What? You're actually thinking of going after him? You'd be killed in a heartbeat!"

"Don't have much of a choice, I need to get home with my friends."

Terubia placed her chin into her palm as if contemplating something. She hummed to herself, leaving Cyborg a little puzzled for a moment before she came up with an idea. "I got it! We shall go speak with the sage Donpreoni!"

"Don whatsit?"

"Donpreoni was one of the greatest sages of the Balor clan, probably rivaling Napharak himself. Since he saw Donpreoni as a threat, Napharak had him banished to the peak of Mount Hujall. If anybody would know how to get those incantations out of Napharak, it'd be him! It'll…um, be a little dangerous."

"How dangerous?"

"It's uh…a very big mountain, inhabited by hundreds of drakes and the dreaded beast of Hujall." The last part was muttered in a whisper so soft that Cyborg could barely pick it up.

"I don't like the sound of that last one."

"Most wouldn't. But I'm sure you can beat it. We'll head out tomorrow morning, when it's safe to travel again. We should get some rest."

"Uh…yeah, speaking of rest, you wouldn't happen to have a power outlet in this cave, would ya?" Cyborg asked rhetorically, taking a look at his energy level readout. The last few fights with the demons and Kronos took a large chunk out of his power reserves.

"Out…let?" Obviously such technology was beyond the young demon's grasp.

"Electricity - I run on electricity and if I don't figure out how to recharge my batteries I'm gonna clunk out halfway up that mountain."

"Oh…you want electricity. Well why didn't you say so?" Terubia smiled and extended a finger to Cyborg. Several bolts of electricity jumped from her fingertip over to Cyborg, eliciting a rather painful response. At least her heart was in the right place even though her comprehension of the ideas of electrical circuits was somewhat lacking. Luckily, it wasn't a very strong bolt of electricity and Cyborg managed to stay conscious after the electrocution.

"Uhh…not quite the same idea," Cyborg groaned slightly. A blinking light on his computer caught his attention and when he looked to the energy level readout, he was surprised to see that the bar was filled once again. "Or…maybe that did work." Painful as it was, his energy core must've been able to draw power from the electricity that Terubia sent through him. Hopefully he would be back home before he needed another charge.

* * *

"Status report, Praetor Necrosis."

"We have succeeded in capturing two of the humans that have been sent by Lord Kronos. He was not exaggerating their strength at all," the young Balor knight reported the key events of the day. The council room was dimly lit with eight demons, two from each clan, sat around a large circular table that surrounded a large crystal in the center of the chamber. The crystal, elliptical in shape and measuring roughly two feet across and four feet high, was positioned on a black metal mount and bathed the entire room in a gentle white light.

"Then with young Raven in our 'custody' as well, we still have three more unaccounted for," Napharak stated, interlacing his fingers a few inches in front of his face, with the tips of his index fingers and thumbs together. "Which two did you get Necrosis?"

"The green-skinned one and the orange-skinned with red hair – neither are the ones that Kronos demanded we capture."

"A scouting party reported being ambushed while dealing with a certain rebellious Nkrath – they are likely somewhere in the woods south of Hujall mountain," one of the Tauranton representatives reported.

"Hm…no doubt it was little Terubia," a Yerwn representative remarked sarcastically. The Yerwn were the smallest clan in numbers but had the largest demons making up the small population. They could range from anywhere between twelve to twenty feet in size and varying in scale colour, though usually gold, red, green, or black were the primary colours of their scales. Large in size, standing upon their hind legs with massive broad shoulders and huge wingspans. A long neck led up to their dragon-like head, which contained rows of sharp teeth and a pair of massive horns. Within the Yerwn, dominance was almost always linked with the size of the demon's horns and wingspan, which meant their leaders were typically the largest of them. "For one demon she seems to be giving you a great deal of trouble Lord Napharak."

"She is but one demon, there is nothing she can possibly due to harm us aside from make it seem like I cannot keep control of the land. Need I remind you that I could have easily had you all banished with your former High Elder when I took over so I would kindly ask that you refrain from the snide remarks," Napharak snapped back harshly. The Yerwn and Balor have never gotten along for the obvious reason that the Yerwn used to be the major power in Daluram but were ousted by Napharak with Kronos' assistance. "Besides, I think the Nkrath would keep better control over their own people."

"She is rogue – her actions do not represent the beliefs of the rest of the clan," one of the Nkrath representatives quickly defended their reputation. That, of course, was a blatant lie since most of the Nkrath were upset with Napharak with what he did to 'acquire' the Nkrath's loyalty.

"Can we return to the matter at hand?" Necrosis spoke up, reminding the other representatives that this meeting was not about pointing fingers. "There are still three of those humans out there in the wild. We know one has paired with the Nkrath and the one that Kronos has demanded is also out there."

"We are doing all that we can at the time, you cannot expect us to find three little humans in a land as fast as Daluram. Be patient and the others will be found in due time."

"They'd best be found soon Nkrath, or all of us will be suffering the consequences. You are all dismissed," Napharak sighed at the end, waving one hand to motion for them to leave. The six representatives from the other clans promptly left the room without saying another word, while Necrosis and Napharak remained in the council room. "Every day they continue to question my authority…why do I bother with this useless council anyways?"

"Because it's the only way to keep them from forming an alliance and attempting to overthrow us," the Praetor answered. "It keeps them in order and that's what's important…not what they bring to the table. Now…about that Raven child…"

"Yes, yes I know what you're going to say. I've analyzed the risk and I think I can contain her. As long as she doesn't figure out the truth she won't suspect a thing. She'll probably be too obsessed that she's meeting one of her childhood heroes to be suspicious," Napharak answered shaking his head slowly. "If not, she will simply join her friends in the pit."

"And if Kronos finds out?"

"He will not find out. According to his last message, he's going to be in stasis for quite some time until his body is repaired. He'll be out of contact until then and will be unable to monitor what occurs in Daluram. Do not worry Necrosis. I am well prepared for anything that might happen." Napharak slowly arose from his seat and proceeded for the exit of the council chamber.

"I have a bad feeling about this Napharak. You have enemies all around you and you continue to take risks. I know you are smart but eventually they will catch on and take advantage of the situation…and you will have very little friends to turn to when that happens." Napharak stopped when he heard this. He walked back to Necrosis and placed one hand upon the knight's shoulder.

"Perhaps you are right. Kronos is always an inch from coming back and destroying this realm, the other clans are always on the brink of civil war, and now I have humans running amuck in my lands and I'm taking one into my own citadel to treat as a guest. Our society runs on deceit and treachery and the only way I can hold onto power is keep my enemies in the dark or in fear. I never wished to rule like that but it may end up turning to that. Necrosis…can I count on you to be there should things become dangerous?"

"Of course brother…we are the brothers Trnorbane, nothing shall ever oppose us so long as we stand together."

"Thank you Necrosis. Now if you'll excuse me I have an appointment to keep?"

"An appointment…at this hour?"

"Yes. I have a guest to entertain," Napharak chuckled lightly to himself. "She wishes to hear the story of our battle against Trigon the Terrible."


	10. Chapter 10: The Breakout

**Chapter Ten: The Breakout**

**"Oi, rise and shine you two. **Today is ze big day," Jacqueline gently shook her new companion, Starfire, up. She yawned softly before slowly getting up from the floor. "How you feeling?"

"Sore…I do not like sleeping on the floor," Starfire answered, rubbing her back slightly as she stretched her muscles. The hard stone floor didn't make much for comfortable sleeping arrangements but this was a prison cell – they weren't meant to be comfortable. Beast Boy was already awake and sitting patiently near the bars and keeping an eye out on the guards that patrolled the jail halls. Tyrael was also awake and stood a few feet from Beast Boy: he was looking for a certain guard to come by their cell. Today would be the day they launched their escape plan. It was very risky and extremely dangerous but they could not remain in the cell forever, they had to find the other Titans before they were captured too. The major problem with their plan was the lack of knowledge of the area outside the jail hall. All four of them were unconscious when brought to their cells so they have no idea what sort of building layout awaited them after they broke out. It was a risk they had to take and Tyrael was putting a great deal of trust in Jacqueline's ability to rapidly adapt to new situations to guide them out and the extra muscle from their two new companions.

The only thing they needed to happen was for the one guard in mind to come by their cell. Tyrael kept the details of the escape itself to a minimum because he didn't want any of the others to get 'excited' when the time approached and inadvertently tip the guard off…though it wasn't much of a subtle plan and they'd likely figure it out anyways.

"Do you really think we can bust out of this place?" Beast Boy asked in a whisper to Tyrael.

"Statistically speaking – probably not. But I've never been one to rely a lot on statistics. I have faith that we will be able to find a way out," Tyrael answered confidently with a reassuring smirk. His confidence was quite apparent, even though none of the other three really knew what they were waiting for. Tyrael made a slight gesture with his hand, signaling for the others to keep quiet and stay still – they moment of truth was coming. If he screwed up…they'd all be killed on the spot without hesitation.

"Oh Lord…grant me the strength to overcome my enemies…" Tyrael muttered softly to himself and taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He glanced down the hall, seeing a Tauranton guard doing his rounds. "Hey, steak for brains!" His taunting immediately caught the attention of the Tauranton guard. While their capacity for facial expressions were limited, it was quite easy for Tyrael to tell that he had annoyed the guard. "That's right, I'm talking to you ya damn cow!"

"What did you just call me puny human?" the guard growled as he marched up to the cell bars.

"A cow. Where I come from you're nothing more than a slab of meat served next to my salad and smothered in barbeque sauce. Your ass makes my dinner, your head makes a wall decoration, your guts make my breakfast sausages, and your hide makes me a nice coat! And then I squeeze your mother's teats to put milk in my coffee! Then I-HURK!" Tyrael's words were halted when the guard reached through the cell bars and grabbed Tyrael by the throat. The guard had no trouble lifting Tyrael off the ground and slamming him into the bars.

"Would you care to say that again little man?"

"I said…this is mine!" Tyrael reached through the bars and grabbed an item that the guard had been carrying upon him. It was a small cross, about a twelve inches long composed of an unusual gray metal instead of the usual brass or gold that most crosses were made in. The Tauranton was puzzled for a moment as Tyrael pressed a small button on the center of the cross. The ends of the long portion of the cross slid back revealing a pair of openings, the adjacent arms narrowed slightly and a pair of trigger guards were formed by shifting pieces of the out covering of the cross. Grabbing the short arms of the cross with both hand, he pulled the ornament in half revealing to the others cross was, in fact, a pair of concealed firearms.

"Ashes to ashes…" Tyrael muttered as he pulled the trigger. Each pistol fired a rapid series of energy pulses into the guard, causing him to stagger back in pain before collapsing to the ground.

"Geez…whatever happened to 'thou shalt not kill'?" Jacqueline remarked, peeking past Tyrael to look at the former guard.

"He's not dead – just unconscious," he explained as flipped the fire selector on each pistol to more powerful single shots rather than the previous rapid fire. "Now stand back people," he advised as he aimed the pistol at the cell door's lock and began firing. While magic and brute strength might do little against the cell walls, technology was another thing altogether and something that the people of Daluram had little experience with. Still, the lock stood up well against the barrage of shots but after about a dozen or so from each pistol the lock had been weakened significantly. "Starfire, try it now…"

At this point, Starfire had gotten a general idea of what Tyrael had been planning. Upon his suggestion, Starfire headed up to the cell door, grabbed hold of the cell door and the bars next to the door and began pulling as hard as possible to separate the door and lock. After quite a fair bit of grunting and straining, the metal weakened and the whole door almost came off its rails when the lock finally gave way.

"Alright! Way to go Starfire!" Beast Boy cheered as he and the others raced out of the cell.

"Our equipment is being held somewhere around here, we'll need to find it if we're to get out of her," Tyrael explained to Beast Boy and Starfire. Unlike the Titans, the other two were dependant on their weapons as they lacked the enhanced powers that the Titans possessed. "Starfire, watch the door…anything comes in and you know what to do." The other three members of the group split up to search the sector of the jail hall. Starfire kept an eye on the only way into the section of the jail hall, which was 'T' shaped. So far, things were quiet but it wouldn't be long until somebody noticed that there was one less guard doing their rounds.

"I think I found them!" Beast Boy shouted triumphantly as he opened up a chest at the other end of the hall. Tyrael and Jacqueline quickly hurried over and checked it out.

"Nice job there," Tyrael congratulated as he reached into the chest and started grabbing his things. The first thing he pulled out was a large tome mounted on a chain sling, which he promptly slung over his shoulder – it was his spell book and where the bulk of his powers laid. His main weapon, however, was a sledgehammer that he grabbed next. It wasn't any ordinary sledgehammer though as it was more properly balanced and weighted for combat with all-metal composite body. It was lighter yet more powerful as the special inertia generators housed within the hammer's head allowed one to amplify the kinetic force of each swing to astronomical levels.

"Dude…who brought the guitar?" Beast Boy asked puzzled, pulling an electric guitar out of the chest. Jacqueline just grinned and plucked it out of his hands.

"Zat ees my guitar for your information," Jacqueline answered, lightly strumming the chords with her thumb to see if it was still okay. "It is my weapon and my most prized possession," she explained as she slung the guitar over her shoulder.

"Your weapon is a guitar?"

"Oh right, you never told them what your power was Jacq," Tyrael reminded her. "Jacqueline here can channel her body's energies into any handheld item and use those powers to amplify any physical aspect of it. This girl can turn almost anything into a weapon."

"That's so sweet!" Beast Boy's eyes lit up at the possibilities of the extent of her powers. This was something he would have to see for himself to truly believe and appreciate its worth. Considering the nature of her power though, Beast Boy could understand where the idea of an ultra-versatile 'Jack of All Trades' identity would come from.

"It's a little hard to explain fully…you'll understand once things heat up," Jacqueline explained with a smirk.

"Excuse me Sir Tyrael, but there are more of the Tauranton beings approaching," Starfire informed the others. Another guard was on his way over to that section of the hallway and currently only a single door was preventing visual confirmation of their escape.

"Right then, time to make ourselves known."

* * *

"It was then that I realized that the only way that we could ever possibly survive a direct confrontation with Trigon was to figure out a way to outwit rather than by defeating him with brute force. We had already lost nearly three-quarters of our armies just holding back his demonic minions and preventing them from joining up with their master. This left Trigon isolated…not that he really needed an army but with Trigon approaching the Citadel the only way our remaining forces could hold out long enough was to keep his army from linking up with the demon." The young Raven and the demon lord Napharak were sitting in the guest room that was set up for Raven while she remained at the citadel as Napharak's guest. Since early that morning, Napharak had been sharing the full-length personal account of Daluram's struggle against Trigon many years ago.

Despite the urgency of finding her friends, she had been reassured numerous times by Napharak that one more person looking for them wouldn't make a difference and that she should leave it to his soldiers to find the other Titans. Raven was reluctant to remain in the citadel while her friends were supposedly lost in the wilderness, but after about ten minutes of listening to Napharak…she was kind of glad that she had stayed. Napharak had brewed her a cup of his 'not so famous but still pretty damn good' Yeconl tea to which Raven was enjoying a great deal.

"Was that when you decided you'd need to use the dimensional gateway spell?"

"Sorta. The idea had crossed my mind but there was a big difference between transporting people across realms and transporting an entire world. We were all fairly prideful back then…none of us wanted to abandon our ancestral home and with good reason. I sent my brother and the High Elders of the other clans to rally what forces they could and do whatever they could to slow Trigon's advance while I tried to figure out a plan…more importantly, create a spell that could actually an entire realm across dimensions."

"You mean you have to make a dimensional gateway spell in only a few hours? I always figured you had that spell already made considering how complex it was…it should've taken you years to perfect such a spell."

"Well I will let you in on a little secret. The tomes may have credited me with the spell's creation but a large component of the spell was using combinations of other spells. I'd have to say at least half of the spell was pulled from about six other transportation spells…the big challenge was simply creating a gateway large enough to take all of Daluram but leave behind Trigon – that was the tricky part." However, before Napharak could speak another word there came a loud knock from the bedroom door. Both of them just sighed at the interruption but Napharak knew if somebody was bold enough to be pounding on the door like that, it had to be urgent. The door eventually opened and a hood Balor stepped into the room.

"I beg your pardon my lord, but there is an urgent matter that needs your attention."

"How urgent?" Napharak answered slowly and his tone screamed his restrained anger.

"It's…um, there's a problem in the lower halls…" the other demon was visibly nervous as he was walking on thin ice right now. "It has to do with them…um, rebels, sir."

"Tell Necrosis about it…he's the military leader."

"Praetor Necrosis is out leading the patrols for the other humans my lord."

"Oh right…very well then, I shall have to take care of things myself then," Napharak answered reluctantly as he rose from his seat. "I'm afraid we'll have to pick this up later – ruling a land is very time consuming work."

"Do you need some help?" Raven offered as she was about to get up from her seat but Napharak raised a hand to stop her.

"I cannot ask you to get involved with Daluram matters. Merely some…rebels who can't let go of the past," Napharak explained. "This should only take a few minutes."

* * *

It was a good thick the halls in the lower levels of the citadel were quite thick or Raven might be able to hear the small war raging on near the jail halls. The four warriors had fought their way up two floors through more than a dozen guards and there seemed to be no end in sight. The further they ascended, the more numerous the guards became and every foot of hallway was more difficult than the last.

The clash of metal on metal rang throughout the hall as Tyrael thrust the head of his hammer into the gut of a Balor demon, knocking it back in Beast Boy's awaiting arms. In the form of a gorilla, Beast Boy hoisted the demon off the ground and hurled him headlong into the wall.

"More of them are advancing from our rear," Starfire alerted the others as she hurled several starbolts down the hall to try and halt the demon's advance. They could not afford to be caught between two groups of guards in a narrow hallway like this one.

"Jacqueline, Starfire – rear guard while Beast Boy and I will clear a path ahead," Tyrael instructed. The guitar-wielding Francophone stepped ahead of Starfire with guitar in hand and a confidant grin on her face. Channeling her powers into the guitar, striking the chords created a shockwave through the air that traveled down the corridor and toppled the advancing guards over like bowling pins.

"Come on you two, we have to hurry!" Beast Boy shouted to get the girls' attention. They quickly moved to catch up to their companions, who had managed to add a couple extra unconscious bodies to the hallway while they were preoccupied with the rear flank. Tyrael had already gone a little bit ahead and the others caught up to find him already locked in combat with a Tauranton. He ducked down dodging a devastating blow that put a hole into the wall behind him before quickly striking the demon in the gut with his hammer. Quickly stepping to the beast's side, Tyrael spun quickly to drive his hammer into the Tauranton's back, smashing it into the wall and out of the conscious world.

"That is a very impressive weapon you possess sir Tyrael," Starfire commented as the four heroes regrouped.

"Thanks, I was just about to say something along the same lines about you and your teammate here," Tyrael replied as he rested his hammer upon his shoulder.

"So…which way do we go now?" Jacqueline asked as she looked about their current surroundings. The hallway had led to a junction point that branched in four new directions, each one as uncertain as the next. "Great…knowing our luck, only one of zese leads to ze way out."

"Actually they all do…but you won't be using any of them," an unknown voice to the heroes spoke up suddenly behind them. Beast Boy was so startled by the sudden appearance of it that he screamed and jumped into Starfire's arms almost immediately. They all turned about to see the demon Napharak standing in the hallway that they had just come from along with a pair of Balor demons standing a few feet behind him.

"Whoa! Where the heck did you come from," Beast Boy said, gathering his courage quickly and jumped back to the ground.

"The same place they did," he replied, pointing back towards the hallways. In each hallway two Balor demons were barring the heroes' path. The four heroes were simply stunned at how quickly they became surrounded by the demons. It was almost as if they had been waiting for them to reach this point. "I must say – I am impressed that you managed to get out of your cell and get this far with such little difficulty. It is a shame I'm going to have to put an end to your little escape."

"Oh yeah, and who do you think you are?" Beast Boy challenged.

"I am Napharak…the most powerful demon and ruler of Daluram, that's who. Now normally I'd let my subordinates take care of you but…you've interrupted a very, very nice conversation I was having with a guest and I am very annoyed with you all. My friends shall merely stop you from leaving…while I make you regret defying me." The great demon lord stepped into the circular junction while the other guards simply held their position in the corridors.

"Then prepare to taste my steel!" Tyrael, being his usual overzealous self, charged first into the fray, taking several swings at the demon lord without success. The hammer was a bit too slow to even get close to scoring a hit on Napharak and when he saw a sufficient opening in Tyrael's defenses Napharak struck the paladin twice with his staff before blasting him with an electrical strike that toppled him over.

"Tyrael!" Starfire shouted as she managed to catch the fallen warrior and sent him gently upon his feet.

"Okay…he's a lot tougher than he looked," Tyrael groaned.

"Beast Boy…I have a plan," Starfire whispered softly to her companion. "I will create a distraction and hold them off while you get Jacqueline and Tyrael to safety."

"Are you nuts? You can't take on this many people," Beast Boy retorted. Obviously he wasn't too keen on the idea.

"You will do as I say Beast Boy," Starfire was a little harsher as her eyes flashed in annoyance at her comrade.

"A…alright." He was reluctant, but if anybody could hold off Napharak, it'd be the Tamaranean warrior princess.

Starfire stepped forward, each hand engulfed in the green aura of her starbolts. However, instead of throwing them at Napharak, she quickly spun around and threw it at a pair of the guards that were barring one of the corridors. "Go!" she shouted. The others didn't waste any time as they hurried down the hall. The other guards sprang to life but before they could move in, Napharak raised a hand to stop them.

"Go after the prisoners," he commanded. "I will handle this one on my own." The soldiers obeyed and hurried down the corridor after the other heroes, leaving only Starfire and Napharak in the junction. Starfire couldn't go after the guards…not with Napharak still standing. She was too prideful of a Tamaranean warrior to just run from Napharak – she stood her ground. Her friends could handle the other Balor demons but she had a feeling Napharak would have the power to stop all of them if they tried to fight through him. "Quite the noble move young warrior…throwing yourself in my path in hopes that you can hold me off long enough for your friends to escape. Very well then…I shall indulge your little plan. Once I have beaten you into submission I shall go after your friends."

"I am sorry but you will find that I am far stronger than I appear," Starfire warned him as she readied herself for combat.

"I know very well how strong you are…your friend Raven has told me quite a bit about you."

"Raven? You know where she is?"

"She's my guest of honor…if you beat me, I'll take you to where she is."

That was sufficient motivation for Starfire to fight. With her eyes glowing green, the Teen Titan hurled herself at Napharak – she had to win now to save her friend.


	11. Chapter 11: Sacrifice

**Chapter Eleven: Sacrifice**

**"Am I the only one that thinks leaving Starfire behind is the worst idea ever?"** Beast Boy tried to convince the other two to turn and go back for Starfire. Alas, there were a large number of Balor demons on their tail and trying to go back would be suicide. Beast Boy knew this…but still couldn't let go of the fact he was leaving his friend behind.

"Normally I'd agree but she made her decision and we can't let it go to waste," Tyrael reminded Beast Boy as the trio raced down the halls. The other guards must've been told to relax since they had gone down several different corridors and the only guards they've seen were the ones in pursuit. For the most part it had been fairly straightforward which way they should go as most of the corridors were marked various labels like 'barracks' and 'storage B'. That luck wouldn't last forever as the trio came to a halt before a fork in the road…just like the last time there was no clear indication which way would be more suitable for them to travel. Both were empty but eventually turned in opposite directions.

"Decision time, which way?" Beast Boy hastily reminded them as he glanced back to see the advancing demons.

"This way!" Both Tyrael and Jacqueline shouted at the same time. Unfortunately, neither of them was aware which person Beast Boy was talking to and each one wound up running down different corridors. Beast Boy tried to stop them but the rushing demons forced him to take the path with Tyrael.

When Tyrael glanced over his shoulder to see only Beast Boy following him, he realized the grievous error that had occurred. However, before he could even turn around half of the demons continued after them and forced them to keep pushing forward, even without Jacqueline. "That damned girl!" Tyrael cursed, using his pistols to try and slow their pursuers. "Can't listen to a blasted order even if it's to save her own life!"

"What if she's going the right way?"

"This way definitely leads out. I have a good feeling about this hallway," Tyrael explained as they reached a stairwell and quickly moved to the next floor up. He noticed that there were less illumination crystals lighting the hallways, which meant that most of the light was coming from the outside – they have finally gotten out of the basement levels.

Tyrael was half-right about his original statement – he had chosen the pathway that lead to the most direct route out of the citadel. Unfortunately, it was also the most obvious route of escape and when the two heroes reached the main floor they found that the stairwell had taken them directly into the main halls of the citadel where there was around thirty demons standing between them and the main doors. Beast Boy and Tyrael just stood dumbstruck as all the guards turned to face them.

"Um…hey there, we're a little lost. Would any of you happen to know where the head is?"

"Leave this to me," Beast Boy smirked confidently, taking a few steps away from Tyrael. The Titan quickly transformed into an elephant much to the surprise of the demons. Tyrael understood Beast Boy's plan, climbed onto the beast's back, and held on tight. The demons quickly found themselves powerless to stop the stampeding elephant that plowed through their ranks as if they were blades of grass. Tyrael opened up his spell book and raised one hand into the air. His body was surrounded with a golden aura moments before he launched a bolt of energy towards the main gates. The sturdy doors withstood the blast but several prominent cracks over the doors structure showed that it had been weakened by the blast and when the several tonne animal rammed the door it shattered into pieces.

"Ha! Freedom!" Tyrael cheered, grinning brightly as the sun shone brightly upon his face. Now in the open, the pair would need to move quickly so Beast Boy promptly changed into a stallion and began racing down the front steps of the citadel. The outside guards could look on in shock as the pair zipped past them. However, they wouldn't were in the clear as of yet as a pair of Balor demons mounted their six-legged steeds and gave chase.

As the two heroes rode into the wilderness, Tyrael noticed the two demons that were quickly gaining ground on them. They were slowly coming up on both sides in an obvious attempt for a pincer attack and to control their direction – Tyrael knew he had to keep them at a distance. Drawing his pistol out, he did his best to shoot them down but was having little success. It was difficult to aim effectively at two horsemen that were approaching from the rear on horseback and the lack of a saddle meant that Tyrael had to keep one hand holding onto Beast Boy at all times.

"Veer left!" Tyrael shouted when one of the demons hurled a ball of fire at them. Beast Boy complied and banked left in time to avoid the fireball, though the explosion shook them both up a bit. Tyrael continued to instruct Beast Boy in which direction to move in order to avoid the counter-attacks while he continued taking shots at them. "Slow down a bit Beast Boy!"

"Slow down? Are you nuts?"

"They're going to catch up either way, go slower so I can handle them better," Tyrael instructed. With few other options available, he slowed his pace enough so that Tyrael could use his other hand without fear of losing his balance. As expected, with Beast Boy moving slower one of the demons quickly rode up alongside of them with sword in hand.

The demon knight took a swing at Tyrael but he drew out his second pistol and used it to deflect the oncoming attack. Tyrael fired some rounds at close range but it was still difficult to aim and his opponent would use his sword to deflect the shots. The two began exchanging attacks in a close battle with numerous near hits on either side and each only just managing to hold off the opponent's attacks. With Tyrael too concerned with holding off one of the demons, the second rider started approaching from the other side. Tyrael realized he couldn't handle two at the same time…not on horseback and not with his pistols.

"Beast Boy!" he shouted for his companion to do something to fix this situation. At such a high speed chase, Beast Boy figured the easiest thing to do was just stop – so he just put all four hooves down and screeched to a halt while the knights shot past them. The two knights managed to slow down several meters ahead but this was the perfect opportunity for Tyrael as he put both demons in his crosshairs and just unleashed a fury of gunfire on both of them. The hail of gunfire caused both of the demon's steeds to rear up in protest before they and their steeds collapsed to the ground.

"We got 'em now," Tyrael stated as he dismounted and drew his hammer out. He raced over to the closet demon and without even giving the demon a chance to get back to his feet, knocked him out with a swift strike from his hammer. Beast Boy went after the other one with a precision strike in the form of a ram.

Tyrael headed over to one of the steeds and guided it back onto its feet. "You said you have some more friends in this land…I think we'd best find them and fast," Tyrael stated as he mounted the new steed.

"What about Starfire and Jacqueline?"

"There's not much we can do about them by ourselves, we need more people if we're going to go back for them," Tyrael reluctantly explained. He didn't like having to leave his companions behind but…going back would just wind up with them being captured again. Beast Boy mounted the other steed and the pair headed off into the nearby woods. Finding the others was not going to be an easy task but right now they just needed to disappear from sight for a short while as to prevent further pursuit.

* * *

"That stupid paladin! Can't follow freaking directions if his life depended on it!" Jacqueline cursed loudly as she was chased down the hall by a number of demons. So much for counting on support from her comrades – she was on her own from this point on so it was time to do the only thing she could do at this point…run like the wind. More demons were joining the pursuit though as she saw a group of demons appear from around the corner at the end of the corridor. With the path ahead blocked off, Jacqueline panicked and took the only other route available to her that happened to be an immediate turn right. That turn just took her down another corridor occupied by demons – this time a large Tauranton demon stood before her, taking up the entire width of the corridor.

She unslung her guitar and quickened her pace. At the last moment, she went down into a baseball-style slide feet-first between the legs of the demon. Rising to her knees, she took a major-league swing right at the back of the demon's knees. The beast roared in pain as it fell forward right atop of a couple of her pursuing Balor demons.

No time for celebration though as she hurried on her way with still a handful on her tail. The hallway she had chosen led her to a spiral stairwell that ascended higher into the citadel. Since doubling back was no longer an option Jacqueline reluctantly started up the stairs. Little did she realize she had gotten into one of the 'express' stairwells that went directly from the upper floors straight into the basement levels. After ascending almost a dozen floors non-stop, Jacqueline was starting to find herself a little winded…but luckily so were her pursuers.

"That's it…when I'm getting home…I'm never using the stairs again," Jacqueline panted as she just took a seat on the stairs. She was too tired at this point – it felt like she had been running for hours. It was only a matter of time before the sound of footsteps started echoing through the spiral stairwell again…except this time it was coming from above her. Jacqueline quickly rose to her feet in time to see another Balor demon approaching from behind her.

"You are trapped now little human," the demon spoke as took a step towards Jacqueline at the same time she backed up.

"Zere's not enough room in zis stairwell to swing zat big ol' sword of yours around," Jacqueline pointed out, though that meant she didn't have much room to use her guitar either. Sadly, super strength was not something that Jacqueline had at her disposal and hand-to-hand combat with an armored demon was unlikely to ever go in her favor. Slowly backing down the stairs step-by-step, Jacqueline noticed a crystal mounted on the wall – the ones that were used to provide light to the otherwise dark hallways. She grabbed the crystal and the illumination of the crystal was amplified by her powers, creating a blinding flash that she was smart enough to avert her eyes from. The demon, on the other hand, was not so lucky as the blinding flash completely disorientated him.

Using the hardest thing she had on hand, the crystal, she smashed the demon in the head as hard as she could. The crystal shattered into pieces against the metal facemask but didn't seem to do that much – the crystal was much softer than she had hoped for. Backing up a few steps and using the difference in elevation to her advantage, she hooked one arm around the back of his leg and used her other to grab him by a piece of his body armor. With a lot of grunting and pulling, Jacqueline pulled him off balance and down onto the steps behind her. Putting both knees onto his chest, she held onto the demon with one hand and used her other to push on the steps at which point gravity took over the rest. The grunts and curses of a injured demon filled the stairwell as Jacqueline rode the spiral staircase and despite it being a bit bumpy was quite amusing for her.

As it turned out, the others were advancing up the stairs at a leisurely pace, as there was no reason to hurry with their comrades near the top to block Jacqueline's advance. While they were more than expecting to run into Jacqueline coming back down the stairs, they were certainly not expecting Jacqueline to be using their comrade as a sled. Just moments before making contact, Jacqueline jumped off of the demon and let his body collide into his comrades, toppling them all over like bowling pins.

"You'll have to try better next time," Jacqueline taunted as she hopped over the bodies and exited the stairwell at the bottom. It was a lot of work to only wind up right where she started but at least she got rid of most of her pursuers. It was time to double back and hopefully join up with her friends…unless they had already escaped or were recaptured. For all she knew she could've been going the right way but she figured it was better to find her friends and worry about who was right or wrong later.

The hallways were surprisingly free of guards on the way back to the fork in the path that had originally split the three heroes up. Where the other guards were at this point was a mystery – perhaps her friends had stirred up more trouble than she realized. It took a while but eventually she found the same main hallway that her friends had originally broken out of, though she was way behind and when she arrived the guards there were still recovering from the stampeding elephant. It brought a bit of relief that her friends had managed to escape and thankfully left only a handful of guards able to even put up a resistance against Jacqueline. Of course, it didn't take very long until the guards that were still standing noticed Jacqueline standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Bonjour!" she waved to them before she gripped her guitar in both hands on the neck. It shimmered dimly under the influence of her powers making it more than just a simple instrument but a weapon of vengeance and she had a bone to pick with these demons. It was only twelve demons and about 100 meters of hallway to sprint…no problem for this heroine. Charging forth, the first demon she had to pass was a Tauranton. It tried to crush her with its large hammer but Jacqueline quickly side-stepped out of the way, jumped onto the hammer and leapt forward before smashing it in the face with a swing from her guitar. It was KO'ed in that one hit. The second one, a Balor, came up soon after she had landed, swinging and missing several times with his sword as Jacqueline danced around his blade gracefully. Doing a quick spin around him, she landed a precise blow with her guitar against the back of his legs, knocking him over and out of the fight.

A Nkrath came charging at Jacqueline with Tauranton closing in behind the Nkrath. Jacqueline dove headlong at the demon, clearing over the Nkrath except for her guitar that was held parallel to the floor and the neck of the guitar hooked underneath the demons chin. Jacqueline used this as a point of rotation as she landed on her feet with her back pressed up against the Nkrath. Bending down and pulling hard on her guitar, the Nkrath was pulled off its feet and hurled at the Tauranton, taking them both out in one swift motion. The next three were a two Balors and another Tauranton close behind. Jacqueline quickly slung her guitar over her shoulder and rushed for the closest Balor. Leaping forward, instead of clearing over him, she did a handspring off his shoulders, turning 180 degrees in the air and landing on the shoulders of the next Balor demon. She back-flipped off the Balor once again turning 180 degrees in the air and landed right onto the face of the Tauranton, letting gravity drive him straight to the ground in agony. She had managed to pass seven of them, now there were only another five standing between her and the broken main doors.

The next three, a Nkrath and two Balors, approached her more cautiously. Jacqueline was a in a rush though and she wasn't going to wait for them to take the fight to her. Jacqueline ignored the first one, ducking under a horizontal swing. During that motion, she turned 360 degrees and gripped her guitar once again and brought it straight into the face of the second demon. Since she hadn't advanced past the first demon, Jacqueline rotated in the opposite direction immediately afterwards and clobbered that demon in the face with another blow from her guitar. Continuing with the twirling theme, she spun again in the other direction with her guitar in the lead. It intercepted the attacking Balor's sword, knocking it to the side, and was followed by a roundhouse kick to the side of the head to stun him, and still spinning her guitar made it's second trip to the demon, this time making contact with its head and knocking him out.

"Ooo…need to lay back on the spinning next time," Jacqueline groaned, having to take a moment to regain her balance after a total of four complete spins in a few seconds.

Only two guards were left ahead of her now but unfortunately two of the guards that she had merely bypassed were coming from the rear. Taking them all out at the same time would be a little tricky considering they were coming from four different directions. Flipping her guitar around, Jacqueline quickly struck the lowest chords on her guitar, creating a rippling shockwave in all directions that toppled over all the guards around her leaving her path clear.

"That was fun but now I must be off," Jacqueline gave a curt wave to the semi-conscious guards behind her and headed out the door and to freedom. It was a shame she had little idea where her friends had gone off to – there was no sign of them outside so they've must bolted pretty quickly. Jacqueline just sighed lightly as she realized she was going to have to hike it on foot from here. She didn't care where she was going so long as it wasn't the citadel. Unfortunately for her, she had started off in a much different direction than the one her friends had taken.

* * *

"I must admit young one, I am thoroughly impressed by your resilience. I can understand why Lord Kronos is so concerned about your power," Napharak complimented his opponent, even though she was leaning up against the wall trying hard to catch her breath. One arm was wrapped around her stomach as she panted softly and rapidly. There was a small cut above her left eyebrow and a small trail of blood had trickled down her face a while ago.

"Why do you serve Kronos?" Starfire demanded as she slowly straightened herself.

"Mostly because he put me into power – the former rulers of this land were fools that could only understand strength. Fifteen years ago this land was in civil war…constant fighting and battles raging across the landscape as the two major clans tried to gain supremacy over the lands. They did not understand that it took a truly brilliant mind to rule the land but without that strength I could never get them to listen. Kronos loaned me his strength in order to make them…to make everyone see that I should rule!"

"So…you are nothing more than a usurper."

"Lies! If it were not for me this land would've been ground into dust by Trigon ages ago. I am the hero of this land…and I was its savior! I should have ruled but instead they turned their backs upon me and decided to betray me after everything I had done for them. This is not just claiming power, this is claiming what belonged to me!"

"You do not deserve to be ruler!"

"Your friend Raven does not think so."

"What lies have you been telling her?"

"Nothing but the truth I'm afraid. Unlike you and your friends she's known about these lands since she was a child. She knows of the mayhem and the carnage that used to be commonplace in these lands and she knows of the peace and unity that I have brought to it."

"But you are serving a bad man!"

"If you really knew who Kronos was…you might change that attitude of yours. Once I have dealt with you and your friends and Kronos has done his business on your precious Earth…I will be left to rule Daluram in peace, perhaps even with your friend Raven as my queen one day."

"I won't allow that!" Starfire shouted as she charged at the demon lord, taking several swings at him without success. Starfire had already been injured and was tired from the constant fighting but Napharak was showing no sign of fatigue yet. Blocking her last strike, Napharak drove his fist straight into her stomach and then sent her staggering backwards with a palm strike to her face. Despite her earlier impressions of Napharak being a magic user, he had quickly proven his prowess in hand-to-hand combat. Starfire was still dazed from the attack when she tried to stop Napharak's advance with a quick jab, only to be met with a pair of punches to her face that only worsened her dizziness. Napharak grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her straight towards his rising knee that crushed yet another rib of hers. Starfire collapsed to her hands and knees, coughing up several droplets of blood as a result of the powerful blow.

"You can save yourself a great deal of trouble if you just gave up right now."

"N…never…"

"Do not forget the position you are in," Napharak stated, referring to the literal sense that his leg was only a foot away from her head. That gap quickly disappeared as he kicked onto her back. "Like to reconsider?"

"I…won't give up…" Starfire groaned, amazingly getting back to her feet despite another wound opening on her head. In one last desperate attempt, Starfire attacked – landing a powerful right hook that made her opponent stumble backwards. As she followed up with another swing, Napharak regained his sense and pulled his upper body back and used his superior reach to counter-attack with a quick jab to the head. Starfire wasn't going to let that stop her as she continued as if nothing had happened with another punch…only to wind up with the exact same result as the previous. Her third and final punch flew but the young Tamaranean just didn't have the strength left in her anymore and she passed out right into Napaharak's awaiting arms.

"That's a good girl…" he commented as he caught her. "Your fight's over warrior…now rest." He considered it dishonorable to kill an opponent that was unconscious, so he picked the Titan up and carried her back to her cell. "Want something done right you have to do it yourself…"


	12. Chapter 12: Redemption

**Chapter Twelve: Redemption**

**"Sister!** What are you doing out here so late? Galfore will be upset if he sees that we are still awake at this hour," a twelve-year-old Starfire inquired, racing out onto the balcony where her older sister was sitting on her on the balcony railing. It was late at night on their homeworld of Tamaran and while most of the people in the palace had gone to sleep for the night, the two princesses were still awake namely because of a restless elder sister. Starfire's sister had her back leaned up against the wall and her knees hugged close to her chest while her eyes gazed out to the stars.

"Then just go back to bed and Galfore won't get upset with you," Blackfire muttered in response. The young Starfire could tell that something was bothering her sister but her somewhat naïve mind always had trouble figuring out exactly why it troubled her. Blackfire had always been more mature during their years together on Tamaran and like most things in the 'adult world' puzzled the tiny princess.

"But something is troubling you. You barely spoke when we ate and you did not tease me once during our last outing into the city. Please tell me what is making you so distant."

"You spoke with Xind'r yesterday…"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No…no you didn't do anything wrong. You couldn't have known."

"I do not understand. You said that you liked him and I tried to see if he shared such feelings in return. Is that not what sisters do in these situations or is this one of those things that other siblings do but we do not."

"It's…complicated Koriand'r."

"That is what you always say sister," Starfire snapped back, flying up so that she was eye to eye with her sister. "That is what you say when you simply do not want me to know something. What has happened?"

"He's just…not quite the guy I had pictured him originally. That's all. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking it out on you," Blackfire lied and while Starfire was skeptical at first, she eventually bought into the lie. It was sort of the truth – he wasn't the guy she had thought he was originally but she also wasn't the girl that he thought she was. Starfire, however, was just relieved that Blackfire wasn't upset with her like she had first believed. In an attempt to cheer her sister up, Starfire just reached out deftly and embraced her sister in an affectionate hug. Even with all the frustration that she was feeling right now Blackfire couldn't help but smile subtly as she wrapped an arm around her sister and held her close.

"If it is an consolation…he did not seem like a very nice guy."

"I appreciate the effort, but next time let me handle the situation unless I ask for help, okay? Unless you want me putting my finger into your love life."

"Boys are grody…I do not see what is so appealing about them." Starfire carefully made her way closer to her sister until she was cradled in her elder sister's lap. There was silence between the two as they both gazed up at the stars, wondering what the future held for them.

"I'm thinking about going away soon…" Blackfire finally broke the silence with a simple thought.

"Away? What do you mean?"

"You know…just…away – do a bit of traveling and all that fun stuff."

"But why do you wish to leave?"

"Change of scenery that's all. I'm sure when you're older you'll want to get out there and explore the galaxy as well."

"You'll…return to Tamaran and visit right?"

"I promise I'll be back in time for mom and dad."

"I will miss you dear sister," Starfire said softly, hugging her sister close.

"Yeah yeah…no need to get all mushy on me…"

* * *

"Hey Blackfire, wake up!" A slight shaking motion against her shoulder quickly brought the slumbering Tamaranean back to the real world. Her eyes groggily opened back up to see a capeless Boy Wonder knelt down beside her.

"What the…am I dead?" she groaned weakly as her disorientated mind tried to confirm her current surroundings and situation. Most of what she could recall from the night before was at best a bit hazy and it took a few more minutes before she remembered what had happened to her. "Is it…morning already?"

"From what I can tell. It looks like you've beaten the poison as well: you're temperature is back to normal as well as your respiration. How are you feeling?"

"Well I don't think I'll be dying any time soon…but I still feel like crap," Blackfire answered, groaning loudly as she sat upright. Her muscles felt stiff and sore while her gut felt like it was ready to cave in upon itself (though that might just be the hunger) and her head still felt like it was a few shots short of a full bottle. "Listen Robin…uh, thanks…for looking after me last night. I guess I owe you one."

"We can worry about who owes who when we get out of this place," Robin tried to play it modest but he was planning on keeping 'IOU' in his back pocket just for future emergencies. He felt a little awkward because he wanted to talk about what transpired last night but he didn't know if this was an appropriate moment to do so. He wanted to say something about it but he wasn't sure what. However, Robin realized that an opportunity like this might never arise again and with Blackfire in her current condition, while being somewhat unfair, made it impossible for her to run away from the argument like last time.

"Come on Robin…just say it and get it over with."

"What?"

"You want to talk about what I said last night. I can see it your expression and your long, silent pause. People don't just fess up their deepest feelings and expect nobody to talk about it. I just want to state right now that I only said it cause I thought I was going to die and…"

"You wanted at least one person to hear your side of the story?"

"Exactly," Blackfire said softly, hugging her knees close to her chest.

"Well…you are right. It wasn't your fault what happened and your people had no reason to hold you responsible but that still doesn't excuse you taking it out on your sister and holding her responsible. You can't hate your sister for something she didn't have any control over either or you're just doing exactly what your people did to you."

"I resent her, not hate her," Blackfire promptly corrected him. "The only person I hate is myself…for letting things get this bad. If I hated her I would've tried to kill her – all I wanted was to disgrace and humiliate her. I wanted to ruin her reputation so maybe she'd get an idea of what I had to put up with for my entire life."

"Just how bad was it? I mean they didn't treat you like dirt – you were still royalty and everything." While he could understand how troubling it'd be to constantly live in your sister's shadow because of something you had no control over, Robin still had difficulty fathoming the rest of the people on Tamaran treating her as badly as she made it seem. Blackfire fell silent for a moment, her eyes just fixed on Robin for a short while before drifting back to the smoldering pile of ashes that used to be their campfire.

"When I was younger I used to go into the city all the time on my own. I'd get rid of anything I wore that made me look like royalty and just hang out with the other kids. At first I was careful and did it infrequently but over time I did it almost everyday – had a fancy pseudonym and fake background story so I could be consistent with my conversations. Starfire eventually caught me and I had to tell her everything in order to make her promise to keep quiet. Every so often she'd tag along…she thought it was like a big game so she had fun with it but…she didn't understand the necessity of keeping our identities secret so it wasn't long until everybody I hung out with found out that I had been lying to them for almost a year. It was no surprise that they all immediately stopped talking to me afterwards…I had lied to them for a long time. But there was this one boy…his name was Xind'r. He was the only one that knew beforehand that I hadn't been completely honest with them but for some reason he didn't mind. I…used to have a huge crush on him. Starfire knew about him too cause I…used to swoon about him back home as well and so she decided to go talk with him and see what he thought about me. Well…she didn't know that Xind'r was never told my real name either so when he found out that the girl he had been spending so much time with was none other than the infamous Princess Komand'r it…sorta freaked him out. I tried to talk to him but he said that he couldn't see me anymore and…I never saw him again after that. That night I finally decided I was going to ditch Tamaran and find someplace better…somewhere that didn't know or care who I was and…well, the rest is history from there."

Once again silence overtook the cave as Robin scrambled for an appropriate response. "Blackfire…I'm sorry about what happened but there's still hope."

"Hope…" she scoffed lightly as she leaned her head back slightly. "I stopped believing in that when I was meditating in the void of space. What hope is there for teenaged ex-princess criminal?"

Robin didn't answer right away, as he was busy fitting his cape back on. "I know this might not mean much coming from me…but I believe there's still hope, even for you."

"Funny. If I recall, you had me pegged as a petty criminal and nothing more. Since when did stubborn old Robin change his opinion about anyone, especially a convict?"

"I'm willing to forgive…if you are," Robin managed a small smile as he outstretched a hand to Blackfire. "Can you stand?" Blackfire was reluctant to believe Robin was being serious but for a change, she had somebody with her who knew who she was. Interesting was a near-death situation can bring out in a person. Blackfire was used to believing everybody she came across will see the same weak princess that represented all the shame of the Tamaranean people. Despite having overcome the worst part of the poison, Blackfire still felt physically drained and stiff throughout her body. Nonetheless, she took Robin's hand and with his help she got back to her feet. She had to put some of her weight on Robin, who put an arm around her waist to help keep her up.

"I'm starving…do you suppose there's a fast food joint around here?"

"No but I saw something that looked like fruit in some of the trees on our way here. It's a gamble but it might be all we have."

"Guess it'd be too much to hope for zorka berries," Blackfire joked dryly as the two headed out of the cave. Fortunately for them, the harvest season for most of Daluram was still going on and while most of the vegetables and fruits at the farms have been harvested, there were still plenty of growth left in the forests. In fact, there were a number of trees that grew fruit during the entire Daluram year as the weather was typically temperate all year round with little variation in rain and sunlight. A lot of the wildlife in the forest, namely smaller rodents, depended on these fruits as a source of daily nourishment due to the high iron contents of the shrubs and grasses. It didn't take the pair very long to find a tree that was bore what appeared to be fruit – unlike the rest of the reddish leaves the fruit-like item was a dull yellow and resembled something along the lines of a squash. Since there were little other options for food they decided that they would give this a try. What's the worse that could happen?

"Think you can fly up to get that?"

"Uh-uh, I feel still sick to each one of my stomachs. I'm keeping my feet firm on the ground. Just climb up and get it."

"I don't think the inhabitants would be too happy with that," Robin said, pointing to the large snake-like creature that was coiled around the trunk of the tree. "I don't think it notices us…listen, just get up on my shoulders and I think we should be able to reach it."

"You did hear the part when I said something along the lines of 'keeping my feet firm on the ground' or do you just pretend to listen to me?" Semi-incapacitated or not, she still had that snarky attitude of hers, which reminded Robin why she had a tendency to get on his nerves.

"Well I can't get on your shoulders, you're having enough trouble standing."

"I'll be fine, just shut up and get on," Blackfire insisted as she pulled away from Robin to prove that she could stand under her own strength, though just barely. However, she did have super human strength so there was a chance that she could still handle Robin's weight without much difficulty. Though reluctant, Robin climbed onto Blackfire's shoulders as they attempted to reach the food.

"Dammit…its still too high," Robin said, reaching up at the fruit but finding it to be quite a bit out of reach. "Hold still, I'm going to try something." Slowly, instead of sitting upon her shoulders he shifted his legs up so that he was crouching upon her shoulders, giving him a bit of extra height. "Almost…got it…" he was being careful not to upset Blackfire's impaired sense of equilibrium, which was already making him sway slightly, while still trying to get that extra height. He grabbed hold of the fruit and gave it a tug, only to find it refusing to detach from the branch. Now Robin was just getting aggravated at this point as he tugged a little harder on the fruit.

"Hey…careful with the tugging up there…I'm starting to feel a little woozy again."

"Do you hear something Blackfire?" Robin asked as he thought he had heard something unusual in the background. Both of them remained silent for a moment but heard nothing. Robin figured her must've been hearing things but he could have sworn it sounded like gunfire of some sort.

"Ooo…feeling dizzy again…" Blackfire groaned as she started to sway a little more.

"Hey! Careful down there. Just a few more moments and I'll have it."

Blackfire didn't have a few minutes though as her weak legs could no longer handle the extra weight burden, especially since he was close to standing on her shoulder rather than sitting, putting more weight over a smaller region of her shoulders. She didn't collapse thankfully, but she did fall to one knee causing Robin to panic and grab hold of the only thing he thought was sturdy enough to keep him up, which happened to be the fruit. However, one cannot expect a piece of fruit to hold up a young teenager and the small branch holding the fruit to the tree snapped causing Robin to plummet to the ground. Blackfire was trying to recover from the dizzy spell and would've succeeded if it hadn't been for Robin landing right on her, sending her back the ground with a fair amount of cursing from the both of them.

The incident left them both a little dazed at first and when Robin's sense came to he found himself atop of Blackfire in what would appear to the casual observer to be a somewhat compromising position. Both Robin and Blackfire held a slightly surprised look in their eyes, which happened to only be separated by a few inches, and yet neither made a move. Robin was thankful that there wasn't anybody around to see this easily misinterpreted situation.

"Uh…what are you doing Robin?" the distinct voice of Beast Boy spoke up. Both Robin and Blackfire's eyes widened as they promptly separated themselves. A few meters away upon their steeds were Beast Boy and the paladin Tyrael.

"Friends of yours I take it?" Tyrael quipped but didn't say much more since he had little idea who these people were or why Beast Boy was questioning the situation.

"It's not what it looked like," Robin instantly replied, completely forgetting the fact that he hadn't seen Beast Boy in almost a day now or that he was accompanied by an unknown man.

"Obviously not but it didn't look like you were a hurry to move away from her," Beast Boy answered.

"Idiot boy here decided to not to listen to my warnings, that's all," Blackfire explained as she slowly got to her feet. "Where the hell have you been anyways?" At least Blackfire was able to focus on the situation at hand now that two of the Titans have managed to regroup. Her eyes slowly panned over to the young paladin to the right of Beast Boy. "And who is this young fellow?" she asked with piqued curiosity and a smirk on her lips.

* * *

"Sounds like you guys were having fun," Blackfire remarked sarcastically as she took a bite out of the piece of fruit that she had been given. It was watery and bland but it was better than nothing. The four united heroes had taken a few minutes to explain what had happened to each of them and with Tyrael giving Robin and Blackfire the same background information that he had given Beast Boy and Starfire back in their cell bringing Robin and Blackfire up to speed with where they are and who's who in this realm. In turn, Robin only went over briefly what happened the day before but obviously left out the things that Blackfire had told him in confidence.

"So…do you know what happened to Starfire?" Robin asked with clear concern over his friend. Tyrael had explained how Starfire had thrown herself in the path of the demon lord Napharak in order to buy the rest of them time to escape but her fate was a mystery to them. Since they did not encounter Napharak they had assumed that she had succeeded in enduring him in combat.

"I wish I knew. It was a very brave and noble act for her but…I do not believe she would be able to beat Napharak on her own. She is incredibly resilient but Napharak is the most powerful being in this realm and the narrow confines of the hallways would've limited your friend's main advantages of speed and flight. I'm sorry Robin but…she has likely been taken prisoner again," Tyrael explained to Robin with much reluctance. They could all see and sense Robin's anger as he clenched his fists tightly and promptly rose to his feet.

"Wait a second, you're not going to do what I think you are?" Beast Boy spoke up.

"I'm going to rescue Starfire," Robin answered, confirming Beast Boy's original suspicions.

"Robin that is insane!" Tyrael protested. "After our escape that citadel will likely be on full alert. There is no way you would be able to fight your way to the jail hall and then back out without Napharak intercepting you and even if you are strong enough to beat Napharak, you will likely be far too tired at that point to put up a fight and we'll have two people to rescue." Robin wasn't too thrilled to hear such protest from a newcomer, especially one who he felt knew very little of how the Titans worked.

"We can't just leave her there! We have to do something and we can't waste any time. I am going to the citadel. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to but I'm going and that's final!"

"Robin be reasonable," Blackfire said as she slowly got back to her feet. "It took the four of them to bust out on their own and from what Tyrael has told us he is only certain that two made it out. I know Starfire means a lot to you but you can't just throw your life away because of it. We need to find the others and then perhaps we can formulate a plan on getting her out of there."

"You can find the others without me. I'm not going to let a bunch of demons scare me away," Robin snapped back. As he turned to head to one of the steeds, the Tamaranean put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"We can't risk losing you too…" she said softly, though Robin didn't listen or acknowledge her statement with anything more than a silent glare. Blackfire just knew that was his way of stating that his mind was made. "I'm sorry Robin…"

"Don't be," he finally acknowledged her before continuing on his way. However, Blackfire's apology was not geared exactly as he had interpreted it and with a silent and precise wing, Blackfire sucker-punched Robin in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Beast Boy was surprised by Blackfire's sudden attack while Tyrael seemed to have almost been expecting one of them to use force in order to stop Robin from going on a suicide mission.

"Poor kid…he must really care about her," Tyrael sighed lightly as he walked over and picked Robin up. "When we find the others we'll find a way to rescue her."

"There's no need for that, I'm going to go rescue her," Blackfire explained, now bringing about even more surprise to the two remaining heroes.

"Not you too!"

"Shut up Tyrael or you can join Robin in La-La Land," Blackfire snapped back, raising a fist and flashing her eyes at him. Being fully aware of what her sister is capable of, Tyrael decided not to protest her. "Take Robin and if he wakes up again, tell him I've gone to get Starfire and if he still tries to come after me: knock him out again. You can meet me…uh, there in a two hours." She pointed to the easiest identifiable landmark she could see – the highest mountain in the region: Mount Hujall. Tyrael simply nodded his head while Blackfire went to borrow one of their steeds.

"Wait a minute, since when have you cared about Starfire?" Beast Boy, unaware of Blackfire's near-death experience the night before, asked.

"Last night was a bit of an eye-opener for me," Blackfire explained as she mounted the steed. "All you need to know is that I'm on your side and you should just shut up and be grateful for my help before I change my mind. I'll see you both in a few hours…" She gave the reins a flick of her wrists and the steed headed off back towards the citadel.


	13. Chapter 13: Mount Hujall

**Chapter Thirteen: Mount Hujall**

**While the morning sun ascended high into the sky, casting its reddish glow upon the world below, the interior of the small cave where Cyborg and Terubia slumbered remained pitch black.** If it weren't for the fact he had asked before hand, Cyborg would never had expected daylight to come so soon as a Daluram night only lasted about five hours. He had set his internal clock to wake up him up in the estimated five hours so that the two heroes could begin their trek to Mount Hujall as early as possible.

Cyborg's artificial eye lit up as he awoke – part of him still clinging to the hope that everything that had transpired was just a bad rothulk-induced dream. However, the sight of the small nkrath, Terubia, curled up upon his lap, slumbering peacefully in a very cat-like fashion, her realized that this was all very real. Cyborg couldn't help but smile to himself as she watched her for a moment. She looked so peaceful and content…it was a pity that she had to live in a world full of so much violence and chaos. Of course, Cyborg couldn't make any fair judgments on Daluram since he had seen so little of it. Nonetheless, a child of her age deserved far better than living in a cage and hunted like an animal.

"Yo Terubia," Cyborg spoke as he nudged the sleeping nkrath. She slowly stirred and awoke, yawning and stretching afterwards.

"Top of the morning to ya," she replied in kind with a cute smile before hopping off of Cyborg's lap. The nkrath stretched again, flexing his digits and sheathing and unsheathing those sharp claws of hers in the process. "We got a lot of traveling ahead of us and there's going to be lots of dangers waiting for us when we get to the mountain."

"Just a big ol' rock, a bunch of drakes, and one dreaded beast…how hard could it be?" Cyborg said as confident as always as he got to his feet. He felt fully charged and ready to take down anything that might stand in their way. Terubia chuckled softly, amused to see the confidence in her new friend. He was certainly far more optimistic than Terubia was feeling, but then again Cyborg really had no idea what he was in store for at Mount Hujall. Terubia motioned for Cyborg to follow as she scurried out of the cave and back to the surface.

"It takes several hours to reach the mountain by foot and it will probably take half a day to scale the mountain itself if we are lucky enough to avoid most of the drakes and the dreaded beast," Terubia explained as she pointed to the mountain in the distance. For being the highest mountain in Daluram, it was not very high – arguably shorter than most of the mountains on earth but most of Daluram was barren wasteland with scattered forests, not mountain ranges.

"You wouldn't happen to know this dreaded beast thing actually is, would you?"

"All I have heard are the rumors passed around the people. Only a handful of people have seen the dreaded beast and lived to tell about it," Terubia expained as she started on a steady trot through the woods. "They say it used to be a great demon that got stranded here after Trigon the Terrible attempted to take over our realm."

"You guys went up against Trigon?"

"Well…not me. That was way before my time. The story goes that Daluram was targeted to be yet another one of the planets that Trigon would crush beneath his feet and enslave for all eternity. We were supposed to wind up like all the other countless worlds that Trigon attacked…reduced to a wasteland. That…sorta happened," she sighed softly looking out the landscape in the distance, they had just reached the end of the woods that opened up to yet another vast stretch of desolate wasteland. "They say that once long ago this land used to be very fertile and beautiful. When Trigon arrived it all was reduced to ashes, leaving this land as you see it now. These forests are all very young and only the most tolerant of plants managed to grow after all the chaos. I suppose one day these lands will heal and it will beautiful again, but that will likely be long after my time…though I will be lucky to hit my hundredth birthday with the way I am living." Listening to Terubia only reminded Cyborg of when Trigon came to Earth…how quickly everything was destroyed by the demon's power. It was a miracle that they managed to reverse the damage done…Earth could have wound up like Daluram – stained red for centuries to come.

"How was Trigon defeated? From what I recall that guy was pretty much a walking god."

"Thanks to Napharak, the other high elders, and countless lives that were sacrificed in order to make the plan succeed. From what my father told me, Napharak instructed the entire army to engage Trigon's demonic forces in order to prevent them from grouping with Trigon himself, and then the other High Elders attacked Trigon in order to distract him while Napharak conjured up a spell that could save what was left of Daluram. He opened up a gateway to a new dimension and teleported all of Daluram and its star to this new dimension. Afterwards, he sealed the gateway shut in order to prevent Trigon from being able to follow us. It was…a costly victory but they succeeded in keeping the clans alive and we have been trying to rebuild these lands ever since. There are only scattered settlements left and most of the major cities now lay in ruins…swallowed up by the wastelands and disappearing ages ago."

"Sounds like this Napharak guy is going to be well-liked…"

"Actually no. Once Trigon was defeated, the 'united' clans tore apart again as they tried to regain control over what fertile lands were left. Napharak was cast aside as the two major demon lords struggled for power. As you'd expect Napharak did not take it very kindly…they said he felt betrayed by the other clans and vowed that he would rule over them all one day. That one day would be when this great warrior from another realm appeared – his name was Kronos and he came proposing an alliance with Napharak, since he would be the most likely to cooperate with him in exchange for becoming the ruling power in Daluram."

"Why would Krono need Napharak and the Balor?" Cyborg muttered, mostly to himself though Terubia's sensitive ears picked up his words.

"Yet another mystery of life. I'm sure Napharak knows why but you'd have to ask him. The sage Donpreoni might know but I find I would not count on it." There was a long period of silence between them as they continued on their way towards Mount Hujall. Cyborg found himself increasingly curious about how Napharak and Kronos were connected, as that might lead to some information as to who Kronos is and what he's doing in Jump City. Every answer just seemed to lead to more questions and it was rather irritating.

"You mentioned that there were a lot of drakes at the mountain. What exactly is a drake?" They had a long walk ahead of them so Cyborg figured it'd be best spent getting as much information as he can about their destination as he could.

"Drakes are not exactly the most pleasant of beings. They are the ancient ancestors to the Yerwn – large reptilian beasts with four wings for flight, large talons and teeth, a nasty temper, and thick hides. The black females ones spew acid from their mouths while the larger, red males spew an alkaline solution that's equally as corrosive, though more against living creatures. That powerful energy weapon of yours shouldn't have too much trouble taking the out of the sky and so long as we can avoid the elder drakes we shouldn't have a problem."

"Why does so much of our trip hinge on us not running into the bigger creatures? These guys sound worse than that dreaded beast."

"Except the drakes are scared of the dreaded beast…"

"For some reason, that seems about on par with everything else I've encountered thus far. I can see why this Napharak guy chose that place to banish people, I doubt anybody would want to have to come down and try get past those things." Even with his sonic cannon, Cyborg was concerned as to how well he'd be able to fight flying creatures on terrain as treacherous as a mountain. These creatures couldn't be unbeatable though as the person they were seeking had to have gotten up the mountain the same way they did and get past the same creatures as them. Still, Cyborg had a better feeling about this mountain than any other plan he could come up with at the moment and despite all the dangers, felt more confident about it than he probably should considering everything that Terubia had mentioned. However, Terubia seemed surprisingly confident about ascending the mountain but Cyborg couldn't tell that deep down she was nearly terrified of the prospect of going to the mountain except that now she had help and perhaps now she had a chance.

* * *

"What happened?" Raven inquired as her host re-entered the guest chambers with a rather dreary sigh.

"Ever had one of those days where you felt like everything was trying to piss you off?" Napharak remarked as he shut the door behind and collapsed into one of the nearby chairs. Raven had waited patiently in the room as Napharak had requested and was relieved to see that he had come back despite the urgency of his earlier departure.

"All too often."

"Ruling a realm is more tiring that I had originally believed. Sometimes I wonder how my predecessors handled it. Well…I suppose when you have a reputation for decapitating those that do not follow your orders it is somewhat easier to maintain rule over them. The…other clans constantly push my patience, trying to find a weakness so they can exploit it and take charge again."

"From what I recall, Daluram used to be in chaos before you took over – a violent place filled with civil wars. If having your patience tried is what's needed to keep the clans united I don't see why you should follow the same path as your predecessors," Raven reminded him. Napharak just chuckled lightly as he rested his head upon one hand.

"That is what I keep reminding myself everyday," Napharak sighed lightly. "Sometimes I feel as though I wish I could just leave it all behind me…go someplace far, far away and never have to worry about it again. Have you…ever felt that way?"

"All too often."

"You must be a woman of infinite patience to have put up with so much."

"Living on earth isn't that bad. It can be a bit…taxing on my patience but I manage to deal with it."

" Something there is making it worth while though...or should I say someone."

"Excuse me?"

Napharak just chuckled lightly at Raven's confusion. "You can travel across realms in a heartbeat without any difficulty – you have the potential to reach countless worlds and yet you stay on earth despite its…strains upon your mentality. From what you've told me in our many hours of conversation, humans are rather emotional beings, which must be somewhat irritating to an emotionally disciplined individual such as yourself. So I'm guessing there's something overwhelming tempting that's keeping you on earth and continuing to endure – those friends that are missing, I presume."

"Well…yes."

"You care for them a lot."

"They're my friends."

"So that's a yes?"

"That's what's implied."

"But not what you said explicitly."

"Why does it matter what I say explicitly?"

"When was the last time you told them how much they mean to you?"

"Uhh…"

"I'm guessing a while."

"They know I care," Raven spoke up softly after a moment of silence.

"Then why do you seem so afraid to say it?"

"I…I don't know. I'm not that good at expressing myself I suppose."

"No surprise considering how much of your emotions you keep suppressed."

"It's the only way to keep my powers in check. I could hurt somebody if I let my emotions control me."

"When was the last time you damaged something because you were happy?"

"I haven't really lost control of my powers feeling that way."

"No surprise there either."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Cause you seek what any other conflicted person would seek – an answer to it all.

"Wouldn't happen to have one, would you?"

"That'd cheat you out of many very important life lessons if I had one, which I don't. All I can really advise is…to not be afraid to trust." Silence overtook the room again as the two just looked to each other for a few moments. Almost five minutes of nearly unbearable silence past before Raven finally spoke up.

"Could I…have a moment to think…alone?" Raven asked, wanting to relieve the tension she was feeling by removing the other occupant of the room.

"Of course – there is business I should be taking care of anyways," Napharak conceded to Raven's wishes and got up from his seat. Soon, Raven was left alone in the guest chambers…alone with her thoughts. She sighed lightly as she rose to her feet. That was one of the most…unusual conversations she has had in such a long time. Despite all her usual defenses, Napharak seemed to have little difficulty weaving his way through them and saying just the right things to her…sort of like Robin except Napharak was a little more understanding Raven and what she is. Raven paced back and forth in her room a couple times, just wonder how she would face Napharak again. Part of her wanted to continue that conversation…the other part wanted to hide from it and to ignore it until it went away. As she continued pacing around her room, something suddenly caught her eye. She noticed on the backing of the chair that Napharak had sat in was something that stood out against the black fabric of the chair covering: something small and thin. Taking a closer look she saw that it was a hair: a very long, red hair. Since no being she had seen in this entire citadel had hair, let alone red hair, it limited the possibilities as to wear this could've come from.

"Starfire?" she muttered to herself as she picked the hair off the chair. It was a long enough to belong to her Tamaranean friend, but how did it get on the chair? Well, that was easy enough actually – it must've brushed off of Napharak when he sat down. That brought about the bigger question then: how did it get on Napharak?

Raven hoped that she was mistaken in all of this and that the hair just came from some demon that she was unfamiliar with. Napharak was a hero…he couldn't be lying to her about her friends, could he? Despite being a hero, Napharak was also a well-known opportunist and Raven couldn't forget about that. It was entirely possible but she would keep quiet and investigate on her own before she jumped to conclusions.

Raven was just about to head in the halls to investigate when an explosion sudden rang through the air and shook the entire citadel. Startled by the sudden blast, Raven raced to her window to see what was going on. From the guest chamber's window, she could a large cloud of dust and smoke at the front gates of the citadel and a figure flying into the smoke and disappearing from sight. The unknown assailant had a strange reddish aura around them, which piqued Raven's curiosity further.

"Was that…Blackfire?" Raven muttered to herself and realized that there was a lot more going on here than she had originally figured. Not wanting to jump into the middle of things just yet, Raven exited her room via the window to tail the assailant.

* * *

After her long ride to the citadel, Blackfire was feeling significantly better. Her stomach had stopped bothering her and she felt good enough to fly now. This would come in use since she was about to launch an assault on the main citadel of an entire demon realm. Blackfire was still mentally debating the issue in her head…she must be crazy to be risking her neck for Starfire. This was the same sister than made her life miserable and banished her from her own home…not that Blackfire probably didn't deserve those things.

After clearing the forests and now standing atop of a rock ridge, Blackfire had a clear view of the citadel. The massive fortress was built straight into the face of the mountain, extending outwards with the main battlements. A small village was established outside of the massive citadel walls and oddly enough the gates between the citadel itself and the main walls were open as to allow traffic between the interior and exterior walls. The walls were over thirty meters high forming a large 'C' encapsulating the citadel and using the mountain as a natural forth wall. Six large defensive towers were position along the length of the wall but they would not be able to stop Blackfire from getting inside the citadel. The defenses looked formidable but unfortunately years without any major conflict had softened the defenses a great deal and there were only a handful of guards keeping an eye out for major threats. Blackfire smirked softly to herself as she imagined the surprise that they were going to be in for. Sure the defenses were likely heightened a bit because of the escape of Beast Boy and the others, but chances were they were not expecting a counter attack so soon.

"Alright then…you're going to have to wait here for me," Blackfire said as she patted her steed on the side of the neck. After she dismounted from her ride, she carefully tied the reins to a nearby tree. She would likely need a ride after she busted out of the citadel with her sister and it was likely at least one of them would be somewhat injured when they get out. "Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself as she flew high into the air. She made sure to stay high enough so that anybody keeping watch on the walls wouldn't be able to identify her from just another one of the flying beasts of this realm.

"That must be where they broke out," Blackfire muttered, able to make out the broken front gates of the citadel, which were still being repaired by a bunch of demons. It was the weakest point of entry, she figured she might as well use the hole in the defenses that had already been made rather than make a new one. With the element of surprise on her side, Blackfire knew she had to make her one good shot count. Her fists were engulfed in a pink aura as she began charging as much energy as she could afford into a single starbolt. She brought her hands together above her head as she aura began to increase in size until her entire body was surrounded by the brilliant pink aura. Once she felt the starbolt was large enough, she hurled it towards the front gates of the citadel. Nobody would even notice the oncoming energy bolt until it was too late. The explosion rocked the entire citadel as a cloud of dust and smoke was kicked up around the entire front gate.

"Showtime…" Blackfire thought as she charged up a pair of small starbolts and began flying towards the entrance. She used the cloud of dust and smoke to cover her entrance as she quickly landed in the main halls of the citadel. The replacement door had been shattered into splinters while the doorway itself had been blasted wider by the attack. The works had all been blown back by the explosion with the exception of a pair of Nkrath and a Balor demon who were stunned but still conscious after the attack. It didn't take long for them to realize that they were under attack again but before either of the large male Nkraths could make a move, they were struck down by the starbolts that Blackfire had charged up beforehand.

The Balor would've looked stunned if he had the capacity for facial expressions, but the way he looked to this side to see both of the Nkrath knocked down in one strike expressed his shock. The demon tried to draw out its sword, but the moment the blade was separated from its sheath, Blackfire blasted it with a shot from her eyes that knocked the blade out of the demon's hand. Unarmed, the demon found itself at a loss when Blackfire approached. She grabbed the demon by the collar and hoisted the Balor off his feet despite the significant difference in size between them.

Blackfire spoke each word with malice and rage, each word spoken loud and clear so there would be absolutely no confusion to the fact that she was dead serious. "Where is my sister?"


	14. Chapter 14: Righteous Fury

**Chapter Fourteen: Righteous Fury**

**"The Citadel is under attack again?** Impossible!" A balor demon shouted in disbelief to his comrade beside them. The halls had been active with guards and soldiers running from one sector of the citadel to another in attempts to contain the attacker. So far, Blackfire had moving with unprecedented speed from one area to another, not using the corridors but instead blasting or smashing her own pathways making tracking her much more difficult. It had been decades since somebody had attacked the citadel and even longer since somebody had penetrated this deep into the citadel on their own. Most of the guards were still in disbelief of their orders to find the intruder.

"That is what the reports are stating. They say she fights with the fury of Rifstrae herself!" The other guard answered, his anxiety evident in his tone.

"I find it hard to believe that one human is fighting with such power! It must be a mistake in the reporting. Where was her last known location?"

"Somewhere a few floors above us." Both of the demons' attention was drawn down the hall when they heard a muffled crashing sound that came out of nowhere. They were both left puzzled for an instant when suddenly the ceiling a few meters down the hall from them came crashing down as a tauranton fell through and onto the floor. Both demons were taken back at the sight of the massive bull demon that lay unconscious on the ground. From the hole in the ceiling, the feminine figure of Blackfire descended facing the two demons. Her eyes were burning bright pink along with each hand and upon her face was a wicked grin that made the two demons hesitate in fear.

The first balor only raised his sword for a second before a pair of starbolts struck him down, leaving the other balor watching in shock and awe. The second demon's momentary lapse in focus gave Blackfire enough time to close the distance and knock his lights out with a solid punch to the face. Blackfire breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she touched down on the ground a moment before letting out a pained groan.

"Stupid demons…" she grumbled, reaching the back of her leg and pulling a small dagger that had been embedded in her flesh for the past few minutes. The blade slipped out of her fingers and hit the ground as the weary Tamaranean continued her flight down the hall. That last tauranton put up one hell of a fight and Blackfire knew that she'd just having more fighting ahead of her and she was already getting winded, not that she was in peak condition when she started in the first place.

Not too far away though, Starfire was chained up in one of the jail cells. Not willing to take many more risks, the princess had all four limbs chained securely to the walls with little room to move around. At full strength the chains wouldn't prove too difficult to break free from but at the moment, in her battered state, Starfire wasn't in any condition to be breaking out of her restraints. If she did that, the guards would likely just come in and lock her back up after roughing her up some more. Right now, Starfire knew she needed to rest and regain her strength before she could attempt another jailbreak. Since she had not heard word of any recaptures, Starfire took satisfaction in the knowledge that her sacrifice had given her friends the time they needed to escape and she held onto the distant hope that her friends would soon regroup and plan a way to rescue Starfire from the citadel. Deep down, she had a feeling that Robin wouldn't sit idly by while she was being held prisoner…of course, that's if Robin even knew of her capture, which she was still uncertain of.

Everything was quiet except that Starfire had noticed that the guard that usually patrolled her section of the jail hall had been absent for the past while. Perhaps something more important had come up. When Starfire heard the sound of an explosion in the distance, her eyes light up at the realization that there was a conflict occurring and her optimistic mind immediately went to the possibility that somebody was coming for her.

At the moment, the wall across from Starfire broke apart as two figures came crashing through it. It was Blackfire atop of a large dragon-like yerwn demon. Blackfire was just shouting angrily as she began belting the demon across the face several times over until it stopped moving altogether leaving her chest heaving in exhaustions and her fists splattered with demon blood.

"Komand'r!" Starfire called out upon realizing who was to be her rescuer. To be honest, Blackfire was the last person she expected to come save her, especially on her own as it seemed to be.

"That's right…your big sister's here to bail your sorry butt out of trouble again," Blackfire smirked back as she walked over to her sister and helped free her from the chains. It was only once she was free that realized that Blackfire wasn't exactly in prime condition, sporting several cuts and scraps over her body, including a very noticeable claw mark across her abdomen, which was left behind by the yerwn that Blackfire had just fought.

"Sister, you are wounded. Do you need those to be tended to?" Starfire asked with concern despite not being in the best shape herself.

"I'll be fine," Blackfire groaned. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here." She motioned for her sister to follow as the two exited through the hole Blackfire had made in the wall. However, upon arriving in the large chamber just outside of the jail cell, it quickly became apparent that Blackfire's ease of reaching the jail cell was due to the guards regrouping and preparing an ambush for them as now more than a dozen balor, tauranton, and yerwn were standing in the chamber having waited for them to exit. Standing at the center of them all was none other than Napharak, once again having to intervene to prevent escape.

"Well this is most surprising," Napharak spoke up. "At first I thought it was just the red haired one that was resilient but now I'm guessing that it's something that runs in your species. However, once again I have the upper hand against you and this time I am not going to be letting anyone do any noble sacrifices."

"You must be important…you're the first one I've come across that hasn't wet himself at the sight of me," Blackfire boastfully remarked despite the overwhelming odds.

"I am the ruler of this land and the most powerful demon in this realm. You must be…Blackfire."  
"Heh…didn't realize my reputation reached this far."

"Kronos expressed a definite interest in you…he only wished he could be here for your demise."

"Be careful Blackfire…he's very strong," Starfire warned her sister as the pair readies themselves for battle.

"Kind reminds you of the old days, huh?" Blackfire commented with a glance to her sister. She couldn't really recall the specifics of the last time that the two of them actually fought side by side, but she certainly knew that it was before Blackfire left Tamaran to go traveling. The two sisters just glanced to each other; the two Tamaranean princesses fighting side by side: it was a day that neither of them expected to see.

"I say we take out the first six in the first attack and then knock out the two to our left and right. The remaining should charge at that point and we take them out with a wide-sweep attack," Blackfire suggested, though spoke in her native tongue as to prevent the enemy from overhearing. Starfire nodded in agreement as the siblings charged up a pair of starbolts each.

"Kill them both."

The moment the demons made a move the sisters launched their attack. They both fired their starbolts and eyebeams at separate targets, cutting down six of the demons in an instant. Shortly following that, the sisters turned to face each other and hurled another starbolt over the other's shoulder. The demons to their left and right were caught by surprise and felled by the quick strike. In a matter of seconds, they had already cut down demon's party by eight members. Reacting as fast as they could, the remaining guards quickly moved in to stop the two Tamaraneans. Starfire grabbed her sister by the wrists and stepped towards the approaching demons. Throwing as much strength as she could into her actions, Starfire swung her sister around towards the demons. Her sister kept her legs extending and delivered strong blows another four demons taking them out of the fight. Starfire quickly set her sister back onto the ground behind her, who was left a little dizzy from being swung around like a club so suddenly. There was still a tauranton left and it took a swing at Starfire but she managed to duck under the attack. However, Blackfire was right behind Starfire so with a clear line of sight the elder sister blasted the tauranton with a blast from her eyes.

That only served to stun and stagger the demon momentarily. Knowing a more powerful blow would be needed, Blackfire vaulted over her still bent over sister and delivered a crushing kick to the tauranton to take him down. In less than thirty seconds, the two sisters had taken down the entire ambush party except for Napharak who had yet to move from his position.

"Must I do everything myself?" he muttered to himself. Blackfire rushed in to try and take down the demon lord but like everyone else that had attempted such a feat, Blackfire was blown back with a powerful bolt of electricity.

"Blackfire!" the young sister yelped as she quickly moved to catch her sister. "I told you he was powerful, there's not enough room in this dungeon to fight him effectively." Blackfire agreed silently, noting that they would need a large amount of space to take on a demon as powerful as this one.

"While an excellent observation, I'm afraid you two will not be having a second encounter. I gave you leniency last time and I shan't be that mistake again," Napharak said as he held his staff forward. The gem at the end of the staff began glowing a violent red and crackled with the build-up of energy. The energy erupted from the staff, creating a massive beam of energy that rushed towards the Tamaraneans. However, just as death seemed immanent, a protective suddenly surrounded the two and scattered the energy beam upon contact. All three were shocked to see this result and Starfire, recognizing the shield that had just saved her, looked behind her to see none other than Raven standing there.

"Raven!" Starfire exclaimed in joy.

"You lied to me Napharak," Raven spoke, ignoring her comrade at the moment and moving to the front so that the demon lord could see her clearly. "How long were you planning on hiding this from me?"

"It…it was for your own protection," Napharak scrambled to come up with a palatable excuse, but knew right away that there would be no explaining his way out of this.

"Protection?"

"Kronos wanted you and your friends killed upon sight," Napharak explained. "I figured I'd be able to hide you amongst the other demons and he would never notice. It was the only way I could keep you from being killed. I knew that if you were told the truth…you'd be doing what you are right now. I…I thought I could offer you a better life on Daluram."

"At the cost of my friends?" Raven retorted bitterly. "I should have known you wouldn't have been able to take control of Daluram without somebody else's help. You sold yourself out to this Kronos. I'm leaving with my friends and if you want to stop them, you're going to have to kill me first."

"You don't understand Raven!"  
"I understand just fine. Stop with the lies…and stop acting like you understand me. Good-bye Napharak," Raven halted Napharak's dialogue. The black energies of her powers surrounded her and the Tamaraneans and promptly transported them all out of the citadel.

* * *

"I am relieved to hear that Robin is okay," Starfire sighed in relief. The three girls were taking a quick break in order to tend to their injuries and exchange the information they had with one another. Raven, obviously, had the most to explain as she had spent the past several minutes answering the two Tamaraneans' questions about Daluram.

"Well…sorta alright. I did have to knock him out to keep him from going lone cowboy on us to try and rescue you," Blackfire answered, sitting patiently as Raven examined the numerous cuts and injuries that decorated the princess' body.

"So what exactly made you decide to play hero?" Raven inquired, examining a laceration on Blackfire's arm.

"Just…figured I'd stand a better chance that Robin would," Blackfire replied, though both Starfire and Raven could tell that the answer was a complete lie. Blackfire wasn't the kind of person who did the right thing on a regular basis, so there obviously was reason to her actions. However, Raven figured it wasn't any of her business to press further and Starfire wasn't going to question a good thing for the time being.

"I noticed that you and that Napharak fellow seemed to be on pretty friendly terms. Care to explain what you've been up since yesterday?" Blackfire turned the 'awkward' questions around. Raven had left out those details so the siblings were a little curious as to what Raven had been up to.

"He lied to me. He said that you were still in the wild and that he would help find you. I guess he was just trying to keep me there for himself."

"Why would he want you?" Starfire asked, though had a slight idea why.

"He figured I'd be the easiest to manipulate because of my heritage and my knowledge about Daluram. He used his reputation to earn my trust and…subtly tempted me with various offerings."

"Such as?"

Raven fell silent for a little while. It would be a little tricky to explain the next part, but for some reason she remembered how Napharak told her not to be afraid to trust. "He offered me a place where I wouldn't have to hide from my heritage any more. Napharak has some of the most powerful archaic magic at his fingertips and he was willing to offer them to me. He offered total spiritual harmony with every aspect of my being and near infinite power at my control. I can't say it wasn't tempting but it wasn't worth losing everything I had on Earth."

"Wow…you gave up all that for Starfire and the others? I probably can't say I would have done the same."

"Blackfire!"

"What? Would you have preferred that I lie to you?

"I do not see how that would be different from the normal."

"Oh lay off Starfire! I saved your butt back there so cut me some slack for a change! This is like…the twentieth time I've rescued you. You wouldn't have been alive long enough to have left Tamaran if it weren't for me."

"Very well…" Starfire muttered under her breath as she fell silent. Blackfire did have a point – she wouldn't be free if it weren't for her selfless actions. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that Starfire knew Blackfire would be rubbing this victory in her face for many days to come.

"Hey…who's that over there?" Blackfire asked, pointing out to a figure in the distance. Starfire got up to get a better look and soon realized that it was Jacqueline, who had been wandering the plains of Daluram for a while now.

"It's Jacqueline! One of the people who helped me escape the first time," Starfire explained. "My friend!" she called out to get Jacqueline's attention who was very surprised to see Starfire had not only escaped herself but wound up further ahead than herself and in the company of others. "It is so good to see that you have gained freedom!" Starfire immediately rushed over to greet the newest arrival.

"My god…that girl just never stops," Blackfire sighed to herself, though Raven easily heard the little remark.

"Neither do you…" Raven quipped as she healed the lacerations on Blackfire's arm. "Why do you keep doing it?" Thankfully, Starfire and Jacqueline were too far to overhear so the two were able to have a semi-private conversation.

"Doing what?"

"Inflating your ego at Starfire's expense. What are you trying to gain at this point? Tamarans gone, the throne's gone, and you know you can't beat Starfire in a fight. What's left?"

"You…you know very well the answer to that," Blackfire grumbled reluctantly.

"Of course I do. The question is whether you'll admit to it."

"Either suggest something useful or just shut up."

"Here's a crazy idea. It's a thing we do on Earth – it's called talking about our problems rather than taking it out on younger siblings."

"I got enough of this crap from Robin, please don't start with me Raven."

"Well I have the benefit of already knowing. You did tell me the first time you visited Earth."

"Fat good that did me…"

"The whole 'framing your sister' thing didn't do much to sway sympathy in your direction. As I said – since you've tried every other approach, why don't you try the most direct and simplest approach of just talking to her?"

"Fine! Since nobody is clearly going to get off my case about this. Admit to being an self-loathing teenager once and it comes back to bit me in the ass," Blackfire pushed away from Raven and quickly rose to her feet. Just in time as Starfire was returning with Jacqueline accompanying her.

"I would like to introduce to you my friend Raven and dear sister Blackfire. This is Jacqueline," Starfire promptly made with the introductions. Jacqueline smiled politely and gave a polite wave to the two. Neither Raven nor Blackfire were interested in introductions at the moment though. Blackfire walked right up to Starfire and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Starfire, I think it's time we have a serious talk. I have two things I need to talk to you about. First off, I would just like to state openly right now I have always resented you since the beginning. From the very start you have always been paraded around as the favourite and I have been forced to sit your shadow and make sure you don't get yourself killed. You have been a constant reminder of everything that I hate about myself and I don't think I can ever forgive your insensitivity and ignorance towards my plight and your complete inability to ever realize that I have always been envious of you cause you're everything I wish I could've been but never will now." Starfire was dumbstruck at that point being caught completely off-guard by her usually tight-lipped sister sudden confessing all of that at once. "Secondly…" Blackfire's second point was really nothing more than decking her sister with a quick hook while she was too busy being stunned by the revelation. Jacqueline just stepped back in surprise at the sudden outburst of violence. Raven, on the other hand, was expecting that. "I really needed to get that off my chest…"

"Well I too have much to get off my chest as well…" Starfire retorted as she got back to her feet. "You have always been a bully to me. You have never once cared about me except when it benefited you. I have always hated how you belittled me in front of my friends and our people whenever you could. I always grateful what you did to save me but I cannot forgive you for all the betrayals. And also…" Starfire returned the gesture as she punched Blackfire across the face. Blackfire growled angrily and proceeded to tackle Starfire, causing both of them to land hard on the slope ground and both began tumbling down a hill still locked in their wrestling.

"Uh…shouldn't we do somezing about them?" Jacqueline finally spoke after having watched the two of them disappear from sight.

"They'll be fine…they just have rivalry stuff to work out. Just give them about ten minutes and then you can go down and get them," Raven answered casually as she sat down to relax while for two Tamaraneans to finish their…dispute.

* * *

Fortunately for Jacqueline and Raven, all of the verbal conflict had progressed into Tamaranean so neither of them needed to worry about paying attention to what either of the Tamaraneans were shouting as they wrestled at the base of the hill. "Zey sure do go at it for a while," Jacqueline sighed, taking a peak of the edge of the hill to check up on them. "Starfire is being put into a sleeper hold by her sister."

"Are they getting tired yet?"

"A bit?"

"Good…that means it'll be over soon," Raven said as she folded her arms across her chest and continued to wait.

"How can you be so certain?"

"Let's just say I have a pretty good understanding of them. Both Starfire and Blackfire are reluctant to face the issue…probably something to do with that Tamaranean pride of theirs, so I just needed to give one of them a nudge to get the ball rolling. Once they've vented all their bottled-up frustrations with one another they'll start talking and patch things up."

At the base of the hill, the fight was starting to finally die down. Neither of them had used their starbolts the entire time, relying purely on strength and technique to hurt the other and despite their overwhelming strength neither had really hurt the other that much. Blackfire's arm was wrapped tightly around Starfire's neck in a sleeper hold, both Tamaraneans on their knees as they struggled with one another. "You have been nothing but a pain in the arse since you came crying into this world! I wish I had been an only child at least they'd have no choice but to pay attention to me!"

"It's always about you!" Starfire grunted back, elbowing her sister hard in the stomach to force Blackfire to release her hold. Both of them collapsed to the ground in exhaustion – their fighting coming to a halt as they panted heavily. "You're one of the most self-centered people I've ever met…" she finally spoke up once she caught her breath.

"If I didn't think about myself, who would?" Blackfire snapped back bitterly.

"I do…"

"That's cause you're an idiot. Even after everything you still wanted to trust me in the hopes you can get things to be like they used to be. I can't be that older sister that teased you and looked after you. You don't need that kind of an older sister anymore."

"And you don't need to try and prove you're better than me anymore."

"Dammit! Don't you think I already know that?" Blackfire snapped back, pounding a fist into the ground. "There's nothing left dammit…I don't have anything left…it's all gone." Starfire, who had been staring up at the sky, shifted her view to her sister, who was down on her hands and knees…silently sobbing. "It wasn't supposed to end up like this. They called me a failure…they judged me without even knowing me…they hated me before I had even said anything…"

"Komand'r..." Starfire moved closer to her sister in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't touch me Koriand'r," she whimpered in reponse. "They took everything from me and gave it to you and expected me to be happy. I hated them all and still the banishment hurt so badly. I was…humiliated in front of everybody. I'm a disgrace…mom and dad would probably be ashamed of me if they were still alive."

"That's not true," Starfire immediately answered, though she couldn't be certain of that. She never knew her parents well enough make such a statement. "Maybe a bit disappointed but they would never be ashamed of you and I'm certain they would still love you as I do."

Blackfire remained silent as she digested her sister's words. She glanced up to Starfire before her eyes drifted back to the soil. "I should hate you with every fibre of my being for what you did but…you're all I have left now…and I'm tried of being alone."

"You don't have to be alone sister…you know I'll always be here for you," Starfire said softly, rising to her feet and offering a hand to her sister. "I'm willing to forgive if you are."

"Dammit you're sounding just like Robin now," Blackfire chuckled dryly as she took Starfire's hand was helped back to her feet and was immediately brought in a gentle embrace. "I think we've been keeping the others waiting for long enough. I told Tyrael and Beast Boy I'd bring you to that Mount Hujall place once I busted you out. I'm sure Robin is waiting for you."

"I suppose we should not keep them waiting," Starfire had forgotten about the others and realized that they shouldn't be wasting time with things like their silly feud.

"Now that you two have kissed and made up, can we please be on our way?" Raven spoke up from the top of the hill. The other two were standing there, arms folded across their chest, and tapping their foot rather impatiently. The two sisters chuckled lightly before hurrying to join their comrades.


	15. Chapter 15: The Dreaded Beast

**Chapter Fifteen: The Dreaded Beast**

**"I get the distinct feeling we're going to be climbing for a very long time,"** Cyborg sighed lightly as he gazed up at the steep incline of the great mountain that towered into the sky. There were no paths and since going around the mountain would take too long, Cyborg and Terubia were forced to scale the mountain from one of the steepest points. He could creatures flying in the sky at the higher points of the mountain, which he assumed were the drakes that Terubia had warned him about. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to deal with them any time soon.

"Afraid so. Now unless you want to be climbing this at night, I suggest we get moving now," Terubia said as she raced ahead of Cyborg. Since her people inhabited mountain ranges of Daluram, climbing was a natural ability of the nkrath. With cat-like agility, she hopped up the steep rock faces and was quickly several meters above Cyborg in a matter of seconds. Cyborg could only sigh to himself as he realized while Terubia would find the climb relatively easy, he would have much more difficulty.

"I hate climbing…" Cyborg muttered under his breath as he got a foothold on the rock ledge and was about to start his ascent when he heard something akin to footsteps coming from nearby. Terubia heard it as well as was looking about to try and figure out what the noise was and where it came from.

"It sounded like hooves…I think it's a balor. Hurry, take cover!" Terubia instructed as she disappeared from sight, hiding amongst the rocks in the higher ledges. Cyborg, on the other hand, did not have such options available to him considering his size and his location at the base of the mountain. He realized that his safest bet would be to take down the balor before it found them and reported their position. Activating his sonic cannon, Cyborg pressed his back against the wall as he slowly edged his way along the wall to the corner to where he could hear better and better the sound of approaching footsteps. He waited in ambush at the very edge of the corner and waited for the footsteps to get close enough.

However, when he felt it was close enough, the footsteps stopped and silence overcame the base of the mountain. Cyborg worried that his ambush might have been a little less than perfect – a fact confirmed when he noticed that a tiny amount of his foot was exposed around the corner. Realizing this grievous error, Cyborg knew that speed was now of the essence as he swung around the corner to face his adversary.

What he met, however, was not an armor clad demon knight but the tall blonde holy warrior, Tyrael, who had one of his pistols aimed right at Cyborg's face. Both remained silent as they stared down each other's barrel, wondering what to make of this situation.

"Cyborg!" The familiar voice of Beast Boy called out upon noticing his friend pointing guns at their new ally. Surprised, Cyborg looked past Tyrael to see Beast Boy and Robin hurrying to catch up to the paladin that had gotten ahead of the group.

"Beast Boy! Robin! Man, am I glad to see you two!" Cyborg enthusiastically called out to his companions. Cyborg and Tyrael both lowered their weapons as the three Titans were reunited. "Where have you people been?"

"It's a long story," Robin sighed lightly. There was going to be a lot of explaining over the next while as they brought Cyborg up to speed and vice versa. "What are you doing here anyways?"

Before Cyborg could explain, Terubia had come down from her hiding place to investigate what had transpired. Unfortunately, Tyrael noticed the young demon and thought it was another one of Napharak's forces. "Behind you!" Tyrael shouted as he took aim with his pistol. Thanks to Cyborg's quick reflexes, though, he managed to push Tyrael's gun out of the way before he could fire a round.

"Hold it! She's on our side!" Cyborg explained. Robin and the others were a little puzzled by what Cyborg said, but they all gave him the opportunity to explain. "This is Terubia, she's been helping me and she knows how to figure out a way to get out of here and back home." Nervously, the little nkrath edged out from behind cover to greet the newcomers.

"No offense Cyborg...but can we trust this demon? For all you know she could be working for the demons that have been trying to kill for the past several hours," Tyrael commented, eyeing the demon suspiciously.

"Just trust me on this, okay? Now I can stand here all day and explain everything to you but if we're going to get home, we need to start scaling this mountain," Cyborg continued.

"What's up this mountain that's so important?" Robin asked.

" A sage by the name of Donpreoni. According to Terubia he was banished to the mountain by the demon lord of this realm-"

"Napaharak…"

"Yeah, that dude. That guy is not a nice fellow but unfortunately he's also the only one who knows how to get back to Earth. This Donpreoni guy is supposed to be the only person that can rival Napharak in intelligence so if anybody can figure out a way to get the information we need out of Napharak – its Donpreoni. Now like I said, I can stand here forever and explain it to you but we have a mountain to climb and plenty of time to explain on the way up."

* * *

"You're kidding me? Blackfire went to save Starfire?" Cyborg repeated in disbelief as he pulled himself up a ledge and onto a small path along the mountain. The fives heroes had been scaling the mountain for almost an hour now, sharing their information with one another and making sure everybody knew all that there was to know about the current situation. Beast Boy and Terubia, being the most adept climbers, were on point with Beast Boy periodically turning into a small bird to scout ahead and find good paths for the others to use. Cyborg, Robin, and Tyrael were trailing a short distance behind the pair.

"Yeah…and then she sucker punched me," Robin grumbled, a bit annoyed with what Blackfire did but reluctantly allowing the Tamaranean to do what she wished. He just hoped it wasn't a mistake and that Starfire was going to be okay. He didn't feel totally comfortable with scaling the mountain while several of their comrades were still unaccounted for but he couldn't sit and do nothing either.

"Didn't think she'd have it in her," Cyborg muttered under his breath, primarily to himself. The mountain itself had proven to be only moderate difficult traverse. The time it was taking to scale the mountain was due primarily detouring from the most direct route because of rough terrain. They would regularly have to scale several meters straight up and then move laterally along the mountain to find another section where they could continue ascending.

"I can't believe we are trusting the word of a demon…" Tyrael sighed but was promptly ignored by the others. Being a paladin, he was trained to have a disdain for beings of demonic origin, so trusting this one was going against a lot of his teachings. However, there weren't any other options available at the moment so he went along with the plan.

Up ahead, Terubia and Beast Boy were scouting out a possible path for the others to take. Having flown up to a clearing, Beast Boy reverted back to his normal form to take a look around. From what he could tell, he had found a path that cut through the rock formations and ascended gently up the side of the mountain, the end of the path disappearing from sight as it followed the curvature of the mountain surface.

"This looks promising," Beast Boy muttered to himself as he headed back to the ledge to wave down Terubia. Terubia quickly got the message and relayed it to the others and directed them to where they were heading next. Meanwhile, Beast Boy continued to scout ahead. Heading down the path, Beast Boy was taken deeper into the mountain range. Soon, he found himself surrounded on both sides by towering walls of jagged rock, littered with crevices and niches where the unknown lurked. Beast Boy had to admit that it was a little eerie considering everything that Terubia had mentioned about drakes and 'dreaded beasts'.

"Beast Boy! Where'd you go?" he heard Robin calling out from down the path.

"I'm just down here!" Beast Boy shouted back, an echo returning moments later.

He watched down the path and waited for Robin and the others to catch up until he heard a strange growling noise echoing from behind him. Beast Boy froze on the spot as the noise came from something so close he could feel the echoing baritone rumble through his body. In fact, he could feel something breathing down the back of his neck…and it smelt wretched. Slowly turning around, Beast Boy found himself face-to-face with a towering creature that certainly wasn't anything like the drakes he had been told about. It stood over nine feet high and about fifteen feet long with a hulking frame that made it larger than any land mammal from Earth. It stood upon six long, powerful legs that supported its massive size. It's entire body, especially its back, sides, and limbs were covered in large, thick plates of bony material and the armor on the back was covered in hundreds of thin needle-like projections. It's upper body was covered in a black, thick skin that resembled the scales of a lizard, and had two small arms, akin to a praying mantis, coiled up against its body. However, the more threatening feature were the two massive C-shaped blades that extended from the armored covering next to its arms. It stared at Beast Boy with its two beady red eyes which lay just superior to a mouth full of rows of razor sharp teeth in a jaw that was composed of three movable jaws – a main crushing jaw and two smaller side jaws that were used to tear at flesh.

"Eep!" That was the only thing Beast Boy could get out of his mouth as he stared at the creature that was only a few feet from him. The two blades of the beast widened for a moment and came swinging in horizontally, promptly Beast Boy to duck as the foot-wide blades skimmed overtop of him. "Aagggghhhh!" Beast Boy shouted in a full-blown panic as he raced as fast as his legs could carry him back to the others, who had been alerted by his screaming.

"What in the world is that?" Robin and the others were taken back in surprise at the sight of the creature that pursued Beast Boy.

"Uh…that would be the Dreaded Beast of Hujall I told you about," Terubia explained, the fear and anxiety definite in her voice.

"Titans, go!" Robin commanded. Cyborg and Tyrael led the charge, firing their weapons at the beast. Its armored hide protected it from harm but forced it to remain still as the remaining three heroes came in the second wave. Tyrael charged straight towards the beast, diving into a slide as he passed underneath its sliding blades and re-emerging on the opposite end of the beast. Cyborg strafed to the side, continuing to fire his sonic cannon to keep the beast's attention on himself. However, it ignored him as it kept its heavier armor plates facing Cyborg where his energy blasts were doing little damage against the creature.

Robin tried his luck at fighting the beast next, drawing his bo staff out and getting in nice and close to the large, cumbersome creature. Robin dealt three quick, successive blows into the creature's softer upper body, causing it to recoil in pain and lashing back out at Robin. He ducked and dodged its striking forearms and flipped backwards to avoid being sliced by its large blades. The creature let out a roar, rearing up onto its back two legs and then slamming its entire body into the ground, causing the very earth to shake beneath the heroes' feet. Each of the heroes was shaken up by the move, which gave the beast time to begin a charge towards Robin, Terubia, and Beast Boy. The three of them were all knocked aside by the rampaging beast before it came to a halt and turned to face them again.

"My sonic cannon is hardly even making that thing flinch!" Cyborg complained as he fired another blast at the beast, not even making so much as a scratch against its armored hide.

"That thing has far too much armor plating. We're going to need something much more accurate to stop that thing," Tyrael added.

"Terubia, how are you holding up?" Cyborg called out to his comrade. The young nkrath quickly got back to her feet and hurried to join the others, along with Robin and Beast Boy.

"Any plans? Cause I don't have any," Terubia groaned, still in a bit of pain from the last attack.

"Think you can conjure up a really good lightning bolt?" Terubia nodded her head in response.

"I think I know where this is going," Robin smirked as he gripped his bo staff firmly in hand. Cyborg just nodded, confirming what Robin had suspected. "Beast Boy, Cyborg, Tyrael – distract that thing!"

Tyrael and Cyborg opened up with a volley of gunfire, forcing the creature to shift its position and move its armor plating to protect its soft upper body. Beast Boy transformed into a triceratops to match the creature's size and charged towards the beast. The two massive creatures collided, Beast Boy's horn ramming into the armor plating and causing the beast to stagger back from the sheer force of the hit. The attack opened up its defenses long enough for Robin to run and launch his attack. Robin hopped onto Beast Boy's back and then leapt towards the beast but instead of swinging his bo staff, he jabbed it straight into a gap between the body and armor plating of the beast. He swung up on his staff and flung himself away from the creature as Terubia put the finishing move to their attack plan. The nkrath charged up a powerful lightning bolt and fired it at Robin's bo staff, turning it into a make-shift lightning rod and channeling all the electricity into the beast's vulnerable body. It let out a pained roar before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

"Boo-yah!"

"Nice shot Terubia," Robin congratulated as the heroes quickly regrouped.

"I never imagined it would be so…easy," Terubia smiled bashfully from all the praise.

However, their victory was not as certain as they had originally believed. All of their attentions were turned back to the beast when they heard its distinct, baritone growl as it began to stir back to life. Slowly, it pushed itself back onto its feet and its jaw reached over and clamped down on Robin's staff, snapping it in half.

"Oh for crying out loud," Tyrael groaned as the heroes slowly backed away from the beast. If it wasn't pissed at them before, it certainly was now. The beast let out another roar and charged at the heroes once more.

The heroes would have a guardian angel this time around, or more specifically three guardian angels. As Beast Boy changed into a bird to get out of the beast's way, the other heroes looked above them to see Raven, Starfire, and Blackfire swooping down from above them. Blackfire grabbed Cyborg, Starfire grabbed Tyrael and Terubia, and Raven grabbed Robin and the heroes were carried out of harm's way and up the mountainside to a small ledge several meters above the beast where Jacqueline was waiting for them.

"Raven! Starfire! You couldn't have timed that better," Robin commented in relief as they were set down on the ledge and finally all the Titans and heroes were united in one group.

"I thought I told you guy to wait for me at the base of the mountain," Blackfire remarked bitterly. "You're just lucky your little scuffle with that creature made enough noise for us to find you guys."

"Speaking of which, what exactly is that thing?" Raven said as she looked over the ledge and watched the creature down below.

"Big, ugly, and practically unstoppable," Cyborg explained. "It's impossible to get past that thing's armor."

"I wish to try something, wait here," Starfire said as she flew back down to the creature. The others watched with baited breath from above, uncertain what Starfire's plan was. She slowly leveled at head level with the creature, which had noticed her arrival and stared at her for a moment. "Zaul. Giv zalkek nok flibarna zingla worglog."

"What'd she just say?" Robin whispered to Blackfire.

"She's an idiot. She's trying to calm it down."

Whether it was working or not was uncertain, however, the creature had not lashed out at Starfire yet, even as she began to move closer to it. It emitted a low growl as she drew closer and then snarled loudly when Starfire was within arm's reach of it. "Rin'rak!" Starfire just snarled right back at the creature, surprisingly silencing it for a moment as its head pulled back slightly. In a bold move, Starfire carefully extended a hand out to the beast and waited for its reaction. It stared back for a moment before a long, blue tongue slithered out of its mouth and began caressing against Starfire's hand – like a snake it used its tongue to sense scents in the air.

"That's a good dorvuja," Starfire said in a soft, comforting tone as her free hand extended out and began scratching the beast along its jawline. A lighter and gentler growling noise echoed from the beast, almost like a sort of purring. Starfire smiled brightly as the creature seemed to warm up to her affection, leaving the other Titans and heroes speechless, except Blackfire.

"Go figure. Sees something big, snarling, and covered in spikes and now she wants to take it home," Blackfire sighed lightly as she flew down to join her sister. Raven and the others followed suit with a quick teleportation. When they reached Starfire, she was affectionately hugging the creature and cooing various Tamaranean compliments to it. "Okay enough with the lovey-dovey crap. You can't keep this one either sis."

"I was not planning to. Though I would not mind taking him back home to Tamaran. He would have so much fun frolicking the open plains!"

"Actually he much prefers rocky highlands and climbing to open fields," a strange voice spoke up from behind the Ttians. They turned to see a strange being wrapped in large numbers of tattered cloaks and robes, very much akin to the style of garments worn by the balor except very old and poorly kept. He was small and hutched over slightly, carrying a large gnarled staff in one hand as he strolled along the ground and up to the heroes. "Qoloq doesn't usually like strangers…or anything that has a pulse for that matter."

"Are you the sage Donpreoni?" Robin immediately asked.

"That's correct. I assume you are here for me? Nobody in their right mind would climb this god-forsaken rock for any other reason."

"Wait a second, 'Qoloq'? Is that thing your pet?" Cyborg felt the necessity to ask the irrelevant question.

"More or less. I found him when I first came to this mountain and have been taking care of him ever since. He's not very good at catching pray that's not on the ground so I would knock out drakes for it to eat. He makes a good doorman too. I'm sure there is much you wish to talk about with me, so how about you all follow me?"

* * *

"An interesting situation you have there," Donpreoni nodded after the Titans explained their situation to him. The heroes and the balor sage were huddled around a small makeshift stone table in a large cave located deep in the mountain. "As I'm sure you have already been told, the only one who knows the proper incantations to escape this realm that's still in this realm is Napharak. Unfortunately, he won't be too willing to give those incantations up considering the constant threat of Kronos keeps him in line."

"So Kronos has been threatening to destroy Daluram is he didn't remain loyal to him?" Raven asked for clarification.

"Not quite. The original deal was Napharak gains total power over Daluram in exchange for his loyalty and then before Kronos left he made it very clear that Napharak would remain in charge of Daluram so long as he remained loyal. Kronos is the only other being that can freely move in and out of Daluram so Napharak reluctantly keeps to his word. He knows you need his incantations to get out of here and he knows you need him alive at the same time."

"Then we're going to need to make it worth his while to betray Kronos," Raven stated, to which Donpreoni nodded slowly.

"He's always been an opportunist and so long as you know the right leverage you can get him to do whatever you need. I suppose the reason I was banished was because I always knew how to get him to do what I needed done." The balor chuckled dryly afterwards.

"Do you know how we can make him cooperate?" Robin asked.

"I know of a way."

"And…" Raven encouraged him to speak up after a moment of silence.

"Napharak is not the only opportunist in the clan. If I help you…what's in it for me?"

"Insolent little-" Tyrael shouted as he rose to his feet.

"Calm yourself Ty!" Jacqueline quickly grabbed Tyrael by the arm and pulled him back to his seat. The balor was chuckling dryly once again at Tyrael's reaction, though the other Titans were feeling the same sentiments towards the demon.

"What do you want?" Robin finally asked.

"As you can imagine, win or lose I will not be leaving this mountain so I'd much enjoy my stay to be more comfortable here. At the summit of the mountain there is a cave in which the mother and father all drakes on this mountain resides. They are a fiery pair that has been a constant nuisance to me ever since my arrival. Exterminate these drakes and I will tell you what you wish to know."

"Sounds…easy enough," Robin sighed reluctantly.

"There's more. The pair do not live together and when they are attacked they will summon their younglings to their aid. Not only will you split up but you'll need to keep the younglings from joining up with the elders. Come back when you have this done…"

"Are you trying to get us all killed?" Blackfire remarked.

"Believe me, if you cannot handle a bunch of drakes, you will never defeat Kronos."


	16. Chapter 16: Exterminators

**Chapter Sixteen: Exterminators**

**"I can't believe we're exterminating pests for a damned demon just so he'll tell us what we need to know,"** Tyrael grumbled under his breath as the group of heroes approaching an opening near the summit of the mountain. The cave stretched deep into the mountain – too deep for light to illuminate. As requested by the balor sage, the heroes had traveled further up Mount Hujall to eliminate the elder drakes that resided deep within the mountain. None of them were too thrilled about having to detour from their main objective, especially as something as dangerous as slaying ancient flying beasts. On the way, Terubia had given as much information about the elder drakes as she could. In a nutshell, the elder drakes were bigger, meaner, and stronger than the common drakes. They resided deep inside mountains away from one another and only united every few years to go through their mating rituals that usually yielded a dozen or so drake whelps. Since they were both a couple thousand years old each, that meant they had sired hundreds of drakes together. Most of which, however, have left the mountain and wandering the plains of Daluram like their older siblings and only the latest four or five generations stay on the mountain with the elders.

"According to Donpreoni, once we starting attacking the elder drakes, they'll summon their offspring for assistance. We'll be overwhelmed if the offspring reach the elders and when we defeat the elder drakes, the offspring will flee the mountain immediately," Robin recapped the important information that Donpreoni had given them.

"They won't be the same caverns either – we'll have to split up if we're going to beat them quickly," Raven added.

"How tough are the young ones Terubia?" Robin asked.

"Depends on their age. These ones won't be more than…twenty years old so they won't be any larger than Qoloq. They're fast in the air though and they can spit corrosive liquids by the time they're fourteen years of age so the first three generations will be attack primarily with claws and fangs. Individually they're not tough but when they get into large numbers they can be just as dangerous as an elder drake."

"We could use the mouth of the cave as a chokepoint. The narrow caverns will force them to slow down. A few of us could stay near the entrance of the cave and hold them off to give the rest of you more time to defeat the elder drakes without outside interference," Tyrael recommended as he motioned to the cave entrance. It was only several meters in diameter and would impede the drakes greatly. Simply choosing the right battlefield can reduce the advantage of numbers.

"I don't want to thin our numbers even further but…I think that'll be the only way to prevent the young ones from grouping with the elders," Robin reluctantly agreed. "I guess we split into three teams. One stays here, two go in."

"The elder drakes have exceptionally strong hides. You will need somebody with a lot of raw power to be able to defeat the elders," Terubia added as she gave advice to Robin as to how to divide the nine heroes.

"The younger drakes are much faster than the elders so we'll want people with speed and precision guarding the entrance. Whoever stays is going to be fighting a lot of drakes for a very long time and in very close equarters," Raven continued. The wrong teams could wind up in disaster for the Titans and their allies. Robin was confident he would be able to make the right decisions though and after only a few moments of though, he had made his decision.

"Beast Boy, Blackfire, and Terubia will guard the entrance. Cyborg, Jacqueline, and Raven will form one team while Tyrael and Starfire shall form the last team with me. Sound good?" The other heroes nodded their head in agreement before gathering into their respectful teams. "Then let's get moving…and good luck to each of you."

The heroes said their good-byes to one another as Beast Boy, Blackfire, and Terubia remained at the entrance while the other heroes traveled deeper into the cave. They brought out their light sources as the natural began to grow weak and soon the trio at the entrance could no longer see their friends.

Inside the tunnels of Mount Hujall, Robin and the others followed the tunnel further and further into the cold earth. Soon, the air was very cold and stale and darkness surrounded them. "I hope this place doesn't turn into a maze," Robin commented out loud.

"It would be on par for the rest of our lousy luck," Cyborg answered. "And there's your answer." He shifted his flashlight ahead where a fork in the tunnels was located. Cyborg checked his scanners to see if he could determine whether or not they needed to split up yet. "According to my scanners, each tunnel leads to a large cavern where one of the elder drakes is located."

"Then this is where we part ways, good luck."

* * *

"Man, I hate being stuck being on guard duty. You know in the movies the guys that have to hold off the big nasty army so the heroes can be victorious are always the ones that get it the worst," Beast Boy complained as Beast Boy, Blackfire, and Terubia sat patiently near the mount of the cave awaiting the impending enemies. For them, every minute seemed to tick by slower than the last and they did not know when the danger would arrive.

"Movies?" Terubia repeated, puzzled by the unfamiliar word. She was closest to the entrance, keeping an eye and ear out for any signs of incoming drakes.

"They're like plays except recorded on a medium that can be viewed over and over again with a machine," Blackfire promptly explained the details, though the concept was still lost on the young demon. "Just forget about it. Beast Boy speaks an infinite deal of nothing."

"I do not!"

"Could you keep it down? I am trying to listen," Terubia hushed the others. She turned her attention back to the cave entrance, twitching her ears as she tried to make out the noises she heard outside.

"How many do you think there will be again?" Beast Boy asked, getting nervous as time passed by.

"Probably close to a hundred, maybe less since the Qoloq eats one every week or so. I think the phrase 'too many' comes to mind," Terubia answered. "Now please stop talking, your voice is like thunder when you're trying to listen to whisps in the wind."

Beast Boy and Blackfire just rolled their eyes and folded their arms across their chests and heeded to Terubia's request. Moments later, two ear-splitting roars in close succession echoed through the cave, resonating in volume throughout the length of the caverns. While terribly loud for Blackfire and Beast Boy, it was to the point of near deafening for the sound sensitive Terubia. She yelped out in distresses, pressing her ears tightly against her head as she collapsed to the ground in agony.

"Bloody hell!" Blackfire cursed once the cave finally fell silent. Beast Boy and Blackfire recovered quickly from the noise but Terubia was still writhing on the ground in discomfort with a serious ringing into her ear. The light in the cave began to darken eerily as Blackfire looked to the cave entrance – the sight made her eyes widen. The light coming in from the outside was blocked an immensely thick swarm of drakes as they flooded into the cave. There were dozens of them in various lengths from only a few feet to several meters. "Varblernelk…" Blackfire cursed under her breath as her eyes flashed pink. "Beast Boy, Terubia – I'll get them as they approach, you two take down the ones that get too close!" The others weren't bothered by Blackfire's immediate assumption of command of the squad as they took a few steps ahead of her. Blackfire charged a powerful starbolt between her hands and fired it into the middle of the approaching swarm. The resultant explosion scattered the drakes, taking several of them out as the others doubled their efforts in charging the heroes.

"Let's go!" Terubia shouted while Beast Boy morphed into a panther. The oncoming drakes pushed through the barrage of starbolts from Blackfire and once they were within range, Terubia and Beast Boy hurled themselves into the fray.

* * *

"Could you hand me that flashlight for a second?" Tyrael asked Robin, reaching out as he was handed the small flashlight. Tyrael focused the flashlight on the large tome that was open in his other hand while he searched through the pages.

"What is it that you seek in your book?" Starfire asked as she glanced over his shoulder.

"Just some spells."

"You don't seem to be a big magic user," Robin asked, glancing back at the two following him.

"I'm still just a knight initiate. The magic that my order uses takes a long time to learn how to use properly," the paladin modestly answered.

"You're just an initiate?" Robin answered, surprised by the realization that their new comrade was apparently a rookie. However, Tyrael had already shown a great amount of skill in the physical combat arts. "You must be pretty good to have been trusted with this mission?"

"I was chosen because I was…well, chosen by the seer who received the mission," Tyrael explained, scanning through a page of his tome. "My title is just that…a title. It's mostly just tradition at this point. They can't put me to a higher rank until my magic is just as proficient as my skills with my hammer. Ah…here we are. Illuminatas veritas!" After he had chanted the last two words, a white orb appeared in the air in front of the group, casting a gentle white light over the immediate vicinity. "Better light source," Tyrael said proudly as he handed the flashlight back to Robin. The three continued deeper into the mountain with the orb of light trailing behind them.

The passageway in the cave soon opened up to a large chamber. They all stopped at the mouth of the new chamber as they saw their target straight ahead of them. In what appeared to be a peaceful slumber was the elder drake. Though the light wasn't the best, they could tell they were dealing with the female from the black scales that covered its body. Its four wings were curled up against its body as its dragon-like head rested upon the ground. It measured almost twelve meters from head to tail and covered with a sparse layer of small bony spikes over its back. Two curled horns protruded from the side of its head that lay closest to the heroes.

"Let me try," Tyrael whispered very softly as he took his hammer out. Cautiously and quietly, the paladin stepped closer and closer to the elder drake. One fell strike was all that he needed to silence the beast. Starfire and Robin watched as Tyrael positioned himself in front of the elder drake and raised his hammer high into the air. Just as he was about to bring it down though, the most deafening roar any of them had ever heard echoed through the caverns. Tyrael was stunned momentarily from the volume. When the heroes realized what had happened, Tyrael found himself staring eye to eye with one immensely irritated female elder drake.

"Why do you forsake me o' Lord?" Tyrael sighed in disbelief as the drake's head rose further above theirs. Its mouth opened wide and came crashing down towards Tyrael, who dove to the side. He quickly rose to his knees and swung his hammer around, striking the beast across the face with a powerful blow. The impact knocked a seven-inch fang out of its jaw before its head hit the ground.

"Starfire, flank left!' Robin instructed as he charged forward to assist Tyrael. Starfire flew high and to the opposite side of the drake, hurling starbolts at the drake but with little success. The drake's hide was too thick for her starbolts to do any damage. The drake snarled at Starfire, bringing its tail about and smashing Starfire into the ground.

A trio of explosions rocked the drake after Robin's attack, causing it to let out another growl of rage. It turned and lashed out with its large clawed hands but only found rock as Robin side-stepped and used the drake's hand as an platform to launch himself from. Large size differences had never discouraged Robin before, even when delivering a drop kick to a demonic lizard's head that was the size of a bus. Robin refused to let up his assault as he delivered a series of follow-up kicks.

With the drake's attention on Robin, Tyrael started channeling energy into his hammer. Robin continued keeping the drake occupied as he danced around the drake's attacks, throwing most explosive discs and delivering additional kicks. Soon, Tyrael's entire hammer started to glow a bright white, catching both Robin and the drake's attention. Tyrael twirled the hammer in one hand before hurling the weapon towards the drake. As it spun through the air, the glowing white hammer split into three identical hammers all on a collision course with the drake. A white flash flooded the cavern as three large explosions of holy energy engulfed the entire creature. The three heroes were almost blinded by the sheer amount of light flooding through the cavern. When the light finally died down and they adjusted to the low level of light in the cavern, all that remained was a pile of ashes in the center of the cavern with a hammer in the middle of it.

"Wow…what did you just do?" Robin asked, staring in disbelief as how a large drake had just been reduced to an equally large pile of ash.

"Our drake has been smitten," Tyrael said triumphantly as he picked his hammer out from the pile of ashes. "Where's Starfire?"

"Down here…" Starfire groaned as she raised her hand in the air in the small impact crater she had made. Tyrael and Starfire hurried over to their comrade, who was still dazed from the last hit.

"You alright?" Robin asked.

"That drake was far more forceful than it appeared," Starfire groaned softly. "It was very painful?"

"Need something to take the edge of the pain?" Tyrael said as he knelt down beside Starfire placed his hand upon her shoulder. He muttered a few words softly under his breath. A faint yellow glow surrounded her body for a brief moment before Starfire just sat upright.

"What did you just do to her?"

"Just a healing spell," Tyrael explained. A loud explosion rang out in the distance followed by rumbling noise from back down the cave. They all were puzzled by the noise and hurried to investigate.

* * *

"Ah man zat's loud!" Jacqueline cursed as she clutched her ears. Their attempt to sneak up on the male elder drake was unsuccessful as it spotted their arrival and let out a mighty roar to alert everybody in and around the mountain. Jacqueline quickly threw down a pair of flares to bathe the cavern with enough light for them to fight comfortably. The male elder drake was similar in size and stature to the female drake except with much larger horns that were much more straight than the females. The drake opened its mouth wide and spat out a large blob of corrosive alkaline solution at the heroes, which Raven quickly stopped by raising a protective shield around her and her comrades.

"Take it down quickly!" Cyborg shouted, firing his sonic cannon at the drake, while Jacqueline used her guitar to launch shockwaves and Raven used her powers to hurl several large boulders. The drake folded its wings inward to protect itself from the multiples hit – none of which inflicted any significant harm to the drake. The drake moved quickly, bringing its tail about and knocking over the three heroes.

"Ugh…get off of me will ya?" Jacqueline grunted as she squirmed her way out from underneath Cyborg.

"Terubia wasn't joking when she said they were tough," Raven groaned as she got back to her feet along with her comrades. The drake was moving to strike at the heroes again but Jacqueline's quickly jumped into action. She leapt off of Cyborg's shoulder and threw herself right at the drake. One would not expect a woman with a guitar to be so fierce but there was no denying the results as she brought her guitar down upon the drake's head, smashing it straight down into the rocky floor of the cavern.

The drake wasn't out of the fight yet though as it suddenly pushed forwards, ramming its hard head into Jacqueline and sending her flying back towards her friends.

"Gotcha!" Cyborg shouted as she caught Jacqueline in her arms.

"I zink a new plan is needed," Jacqueline groaned as she was set back on the ground. The drake charged at the heroes lashing out with its large talons. Once again, Raven raised a protective field around the heroes to stop the talons from getting too close. However, the drake was not giving up as it kept smashing the field in an attempt to break Raven's defenses.

"I can't hold this forever," Raven warned as her companions attempted to figure out a new attack plan.

"My sonic cannons hardly making a scratch in that thing's hide," Cyborg explained, taking shots at the drake between the creature's attacks when Raven lowered her field.

"What if I use my powers to boost your sonic cannon's output?" Jacqueline suggested.

"I don't know if it can handle that can kind of extra power. I might overload the whole thing."

"And it just might kill this thing so I vote for that," Raven threw her opinion in, the strain of maintaining the field evident in her tone.

"Better than nothing," Cyborg agreed as he aimed his sonic cannon at the drake again. Jacqueline put both hands on the sides of Cyborg's weapon and began focusing her energies into augmenting the sonic cannon's power. The whole sonic cannon emitted a blue aura as the energy increased in magnitude by several folds – the energy readout on his arm computer were going through the roof while an audible hum of the gathering energy could be heard.

"Just a few more seconds!" Jacqueline spoke through the immense strain and concentration needed to channel her energy into such a complex piece of equipment as a sonic cannon. She had to make sure the energy was applied to the right locations or the whole system could end up shorting out.

Time was running short though as the final blow from the drake put too much strain onto Raven and she was forced to drop the field permanently before collapsing to the ground. With Raven safely out of their line of sight, the combined power of Cyborg and Jacqueline was unleashed upon the drake. The beam was massive in all dimensions as it fired out of Cyborg's cannon. The beam almost engulf the entire drake for an instant before the massive recoil from such a large energy discharge caused the beam to veer upwards and carve a path into the ceiling. The sonic cannon loosened a large number of boulders that soon fell from the ceiling, almost causing a cave-in in the cavern. The drake came close to moving in again but was struck in the head by a falling boulder, followed by another one hitting its body. Soon, a large number of boulders had fallen from the ceiling, almost burying the entire cavern in a layer of rock and crushing the elder drake.

"That was close," Raven commented, standing in the safety of the cave passageways.

"Yeah well, my sonic cannon is toast…it's going to take a while to fix this thing," Cyborg added, a little annoyed that his sonic cannon had been burnt out by Jacqueline's power boost.

"Let's get back to ze others," Jacqueline motioned for the others to follow as she began to hurry back to the main entrance.

* * *

"That was so nasty," Beast Boy whined as he pushed the drake body away from him. Just as the sage had told them, the moment the two elders were dead the other drakes fled the mountain, leaving the three brave heroes alone amidst a pile of bodies both alive and dead.

"At least you didn't get spat upon," Blackfire grumbled as she looked down to her somewhat moistened clothing. Her armor had protected her from the corrosive effects of the older drake's saliva, but it still carried a nasty lingering odor and she was reluctant to try and clean it off with her bare hands.

"Even the balor were more pleasant than those things," Terubia groaned, sitting down against the cave wall with one hand putting pressure to some bite marks on her other arm. Each of the Titans were roughed up a fair amount, all of them sporting a bunch of new cuts, bites, and scraps from their fights with the drakes. Blackfire was arguably in the worst with more tears and breaks in her armor now considering she's gotten the most combat time since arriving on Daluram.

"Hey Blackfire where did you learn to fight so well? That was a lot better than the last time I saw you in action," Beast Boy complimented.

"With no place to go I've had a lot of free time on my hands, so I've been practicing a whole lot lately. I had taken my seniority for granted for too long, so I had been training to make sure I wouldn't make the same mistakes as last time if I got into a fight with Starfire. I'm going to reclaim my title as the better fighter and I think I've done a sufficient amount of fighting and saving my sis to prove that. Face it, without me you guys would never have gotten this far."

"Just don't rub it in, okay?" Beast Boy remarked before they heard approaching footsteps. They all turned to see their friends returning in triumph.

"Friends! It is glorious to see you have all succeeded in your missions!" Starfire exclaimed upon the sight of the others. The three guarding the entrance had been the major focus of her worry.

"Take it the elders went by easily?" Blackfire asked.

"Aside from one toasted sonic cannon, those drakes went down easily," Cyborg answered. With their victory secured, the Titans headed out to return to Donpreoni in order to get the valuable information from him.


	17. Chapter 17: Reasoning

**Chapter Seventeen: Reasoning**

**"It looks like they're ready for another assault,"** Robin sighed lightly as he lowered his binoculars and turned to look back to his comrades. The Titans and their allies had gathered for their final assault against the Shankrisha Citadel, hiding from sight in the rocky terrain. For the first time in years, the outer gates of the citadel were sealed shut, meaning the Titans would have to break through the outer walls, make it across the courtyard, break into the citadel itself, and fight there way to wherever their target, Napharak, was located.

"No surprise considering how badly I messed that place when busting Starfire out," Blackfire remarked as she viewed the citadel with naked eyes. Though it was difficult to make out much, she could tell that once again the main gates of the citadel were in the process of being replaced.

"Plus Napharak is not an idiot. Once I teleported Starfire and Blackfire out of there, he knew it would only be a matter time before you were led back here. He knows he's the only person who can get us out of Daluram and back to Jump City," Raven added as she borrowed Robin's binoculars to take a look.

"Lots of guards on the walls and in the towers plus a bunch more waiting in the courtyard. I'm guessing somewhere around fifty of them in the courtyard alone and probably even more waiting inside the citadel for us," Cyborg said after taking a quick count. "If we're going to do this Robin, we're going to need a real battle plan rather than just running in with guns blazing. We're good and all that, but we're probably going to be outnumbered about ten to one."

"I don't think anything fancy is really needed. We just need to get in and find Napharak and confront him," Robin motioned for the heroes to gather around. "From what Donpreoni has told us, the only two towers we'll need to worry about are the ones next to the main gates. Starfire, Blackfire – do you think you can knock out those towers?"

"There is no doubt that they shall be taken care of," Starfire answered as the two sisters nodded their heads.

"Will we be able to take care of that main gate of theirs?" Tyrael asked.

"The gates are old and haven't been used in a long time. They haven't been closed in nearly fifteen years. They are very sturdy but I think our…secret weapon will be able to handle it," Terubia answered, smirking confidently.

"Alright, once the towers are taken care of, we ram the gates hard and make our way down the center of the courtyard. Blackfire, Starfire, and Cyborg will stay in the courtyard and hold off the forces located there," Robin continued. Her carved out a simple schematic map of the citadel in the sand at their feet.

"Why am I always getting stuck in holding off enemy forces," Blackfire muttered quietly.

"Your powers are most effective in large open areas, you'll be hindered inside the citadel. Cyborg, have you managed to fix your sonic cannon?"

"It's a little shaky, I don't know if it'll work."

"Okay. Switch places with Tyrael and you'll accompany the rest of us into the citadel." Tyrael and Cyborg both agreed to the quick change in plans. "We force our way into the citadel and find Napharak."

"He knows we're coming and I'm willing to bet he knows we're coming soon," Raven commented, folding her arms across her chest. "He'll be in the throne room…with his brother."

"A little risky don't you think?" Tyrael asked, a little surprised by it.

"Napharak lives off his calculated risks," Raven explained. "There will be a lot of guards outside the throne room but it'll just be him and his brother inside."

"Then we'll only a need a few of us to go inside while the rest can occupy the guards," Robin nodded his head. "I just need to talk with him so I'll handle it on my own."

"Let me go with you Robin," Raven requested. "He knows me and he'll be more willing to listen to me." Robin quickly nodded in agreement. Raven would be far more likely to get Napharak to listen, though the odds that they would have to fight him to get him to listen were quite high.

"These demons are going to be in for a world of hurt when we're done with them," Beast Boy grinned confidently as the heroes concluded their strategy meeting. Each of them knew what they needed to do and hopefully Donpreoni's information would serve them well.

* * *

Everything was quiet in the guard towers that flanked the main gate of the citadel wall. Stretched several meters higher than the walls, the towers had a clear line of sight of the entire surrounding area. However, the towers were designed to repel invaders on the ground, not from the sky. Donpreoni informed the Titans that the best way to take out the towers would be the strike them hard and fast from high above, where their ability to counter-attack would be next to nothing. The two Tamaranean sisters hovered high above each of the towers, waiting for a signal from their comrades who were still getting into position.

Off in the distance, the Titans moved as close as they could to the citadel walls without getting noticed. With the number of perimeter guards keeping an eye on the region, the Titans had to remain hidden behind cover while they waited for everyone to get into position. Robin glanced towards the citadel gates – it was well over a kilometer run but they couldn't get any closer without being spotted, especially their 'secret weapon'. It didn't matter though as they would have plenty of time to cover the final distance.

With everything in place, Tyrael charged up a small orb of light and hurled it into the sky to signal the start of the attack to the sisters. Blackfire smirked maliciously as she didn't think she'd get an opportunity to cause so much destruction with her sister so close by. Of course, she knew that Starfire wouldn't get the same sort of amusement that Blackfire would out of this. Both Tamaraneans just unleashed a hailstorm of starbolts on the towers. The guards on the walls were startled by the sudden speed and ferocity of the attacks as the stone towers were pelted with a constant barrage of starbolts that began eating away at its fortifications.

The walls and courtyard came to life with activity as the guards took cover from the attacks and the balor demons began firing energy bolts back at the Tamaraneans. In only a few seconds, a large chunk of each tower had been blasted apart, rendering them useless in defense as their weapons and cover were destroyed and the guards fled from the tower.

"Sis, go for the main gates while I handle these guards," Blackfire instructed before firing a beam of energy at some of the guards upon the citadel walls.

Heeding her sister's words, Starfire flew down to the main gates of the citadel wall. It was too risky to fly over to the other side to try and open the door from that side. Besides, all Starfire needed to do was weaken the door's integrity as she began pelting it with starbolts and eyebeams.

On the other side of the gates, the demons of the citadel were reinforcing the gates with support beams and their strongest warriors. The gates shook violently as a tremendous force rammed the other side, attempting to break it down. Even with all their efforts, the gates soon gave way and bursting open. Through the now open gateway into the courtyard, it was not the Teen Titans that entered but instead Qoloq – the Dreaded Beast of Mount Hujall. The mere sight of the beast caused the guards to back away slowly in apprehension.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted as the nine heroes and one dreaded beast charged into the courtyard. Qoloq lead the charge, plowing through a large group of demons and scattering them like insects. Being the largest creature, most of the demons turned their attention to trying to contain the vicious beast that was tossing around their fellow demons like ragdolls. Starfire and Blackfire performed strafing runs to keep the demons from forming large groups while the other heroes charged through their disarrayed ranks easily.

"Beast Boy, take out that door!" Robin instructed as he threw a number of his discs at a couple of balor, taking them down easily. Transforming in an elephant, Beast Boy once again reduced the citadel door to splinters using his sheer size and momentum.

"We'll be fine out here, go inside and find Napharak," Tyrael shouted to Robin as he, Starfire, and Blackfire remained in the courtyard with Qoloq to keep the guards occupied. He drew out his pistols and started blasting rounds at the demons that were starting to surround and overwhelm Qoloq. The dreaded beast's thick hide protected it from the rounds while the demons around it were less protected from the barrage. A pair of eyebeams from the sisters blasted the other demons trying to surround Qoloq.

"Raven, which way is it to the throne room?" Robin asked as he joined Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Terubia already waiting for him inside the main hall of the citadel.

"Just through those doors," Raven pointed to the large, ornamental double doors on the far side of the halls. However, standing between them and the doors was another detachment of guards and another group of guards had moved in to block off the entrance of the citadel.

"Raven and I will make a break for the throne room, the rest of you take care of these guards and keep them from following us," Robin instructed, to which the others nodded in agreement. Cyborg activated his sonic cannon and opened fire on the demons, causing them to scatter and open up a path for Raven and Robin to advance through. Beast Boy quickly turned into a Tyrannosaurus and turned his attention to the demons to the rear, charging into the middle of them and scattering their ranks.

"Come on Raven," Robin said as he started his sprint towards his destination. Raven followed shortly behind him. A number of the guards attempted to bar their path but Robin scattered them with several well-aimed disc throws and Raven used her powers to throw several of them into the walls. With perfect synchronism, both Raven and Robin sent a balor demon flying into the double doors and the combined force of impact knocked the doors open.

The throne room was very large and eloquent spanning several meters in all direction with pillars running parallel to the red carpet that ran from the door to the throne itself. Long, red fabrics were hung between each pillar and light-emitting crystals were hung from the walls and pillars. Standing at the opposite end of the room were the two balor brothers, right where Raven said they would be.

"You are earlier than I had expected. If I had known you were coming I would've put on my good cape," Napharak remarked, raising his staff and causing the throne room doors to seal shut. "Now I don't believe we've met but judging by your appearance you must the Robin fellow Raven has told me about."

"And you must be Napharak," Robin replied.

"Correct and this balor beside me is my young brother, Necrosis. Now I suppose it's time to set the records straight once and for all. If you didn't know already, the man you faced in your world, Kronos, is definitely not of your world nor of this one. Many years ago he arrived in this dimension and offered his assistance in putting me into power in exchange for service to him at a later date. That later date would be now, where he had sent a number of inhabitants of your world in mine. I was instructed to kill you all but I didn't exactly feel up to following his orders down to the letter – after all, there's no way out except through me. What Kronos has planned for your world is unknown, though I can tell it involves a great deal of destruction. Now I risked a great deal letting you people live so now I'm going to personally kill each and every one of you – otherwise Kronos will just come back and he will annihilate all of Daluram."

"It doesn't have to be like this Napharak!" Robin replied.

"In a perfect world yes, but this is far from it," Napharak shook his head slowly.

"But wait-"

"The time for talk is over!" Napharak interrupted before he could get to the important part. "It is time for your deaths!" Napharak aimed his staff at the two Titans, launching a number of red lightning bolts at them. Raven was ready for him though, raising a shield around her and Robin to stop the attack.

"Robin, you handle Necrosis. I will take care of Napharak," Raven instructed, her eyes glowing as she concentrated her powers. Napharak was a powerful and ancient demon, a master in almost all form of arcane magic. However, Raven had beaten Trigon already so Napharak was only a step down from her father's level of power and Raven only needed to get him to listen, which might take a bit of pounding first.

"Just remember what we came here for," Robin reminded her. Since his bo staff was ruined in his fight against Qoloq, Robin pulled out a special birda-a-rang that changed in a longsword.

"I hope you know how to use that sword little human," Necrosis taunted as he stepped to the side, making sure that Robin would not interfere with the fight between Raven and Napharak. The demon knight drew his sword before bowing respectfully to Robin.

"You're about to find out," Robin smirked, charging at the balor knight and striking his sword against Necrosis'. Their blades locked tightly for a moment but Necrosis had the advantage of superior strength and overpowered Robin, forcing him to back off for a moment.

Napharak and Raven still had yet to move as they stared each other down. _"It doesn't have to be this way Napharak,"_ Raven thought, knowing very well that Napharak was already probing her mind with his own powers.

_"It is for the safety of my people."_

_"And what about the people I protect? Many people will die because of Kronos."_

_"Not as many as you think. If he wanted to destroy he could've had your entire planet wiped from the galaxy much like how he threatens Daluram. I do not know what his plans may be but they are not what you think they are."_

_"I'll never know unless I get back to my home."_

Robin and Necrosis were still in the heat of battle as Raven continued to try and reason with Napharak. While a master martial artist, Necrosis had the advantage of both size and centuries of experience over Robin. Necrosis was an exceptionally aggressive fighter with fast and powerful swings. Robin was able to keep up and block the strikes but the sheer force was enough to cause him to stagger back in order to keep his balance. Dragging the tip of his blade against the stone floor, Necrosis rushed at Robin now, swinging his sword upwards with one hand letting both his momentum and brute strength combine to knock Robin off his feet and into the wall. Robin's sword clattered on the stone floor shortly followed by Robin landing with a thud.

_"I once looked up to you Napharak, your clan, and you fellow demons looked up to you. You used to be a great hero of the people and now look at you…"_ Raven and Napharak were almost oblivious now to the other fight going on in the room. Raven simply hoped that Robin could keep Necrosis busy. _"You once gave me hope but now all I see if a man of lies and deception."_

_"History is never accurate towards its heroes – this is who I have always been. The texts you read simply left out the less favorable parts about me."_

_"You once helped rally your people to stand up against Trigon the Terrible. I know Kronos cannot be stronger than Trigon so what makes him so indisputable?"_

_"Trigon sought to conquor worlds, Kronos would simply vaporize the planet from orbit. Besides…this isn't like back when Trigon was threatening our world. Our people are too divided to cooperate and I'm the only High Elder from the time of Trigon left. A lot of time has passed, I'm not the same person as I was back then."_

_"You can still be a hero Napharak. Your people will follow you if you ask them to."_

_"I could not ask my people to fight against Kronos. After Trigon I swore I would never allow that much bloodshed to occur to the citizens of Daluram again."_

It was a close call for Robin as he jerked his head to the side to narrowly avoid Necrosis' sword that plunged into the wall just inches from his head. Though a close call, it left an opening in Necrosis' defense that Robin capitalized upon. He delivered a strong uppercut that separated Necrosis from his sword and put some distance between the two of them as Necrosis landed hard on his back. Robin smiled confidently, glancing over to Necrosis' sword still embedded in the wall and gave it a hard kick, causing the sword to bend and then snap into two pieces. Necrosis clenched his fist in as a visible sign of his annoyance with Robin before pulling a dagger out of a small sheathe on his bicep.

Robin quickly pulled out a birdarang and used it to parry Necrosis' dagger and the two fighters started taking swings at each other with their auxiliary weapons. Since they both lacked range with their small blades, both were easily jumping back in time to avoid the strikes. Only on the occasional strike did the blades make contact when one fighter parried the other.

_"You don't have to help with back-up, we just need to get back to Jump City so we can stop Kronos."_

_"And if you fail, Kronos will just wipe this planet out as well."_

_"We can stop him. We know of a way."_

_"Your friend can't even defeat my brother,"_ Napharak pointed out, motioning towards Robin and Necrosis, who were still exchanging attacks with little success.

_"It'll be more than a one-on-one fight. You have to trust me on this."_

_"When you first fought Kronos, he only allocated a small fraction of his total power. He stores his excess energy in pocket dimensions in order to prevent himself from becoming highly unstable from the energy influx. Next time you fight him he will not hesitate to unleash all of his power upon you."_

_"Donpreoni told us a way to seal those pocket dimensions. If we seal those pocket dimensions it would greatly diminish Kronos' power."_

_"I doubt that would still be enough."_

_"You're worried that defeating Kronos would mean you'd have to give up Daluram, don't you?"_ There was a long silent pause between the two with the only noises being that of the battle going on inside and outside the throne room. Raven took this as a sign that she was right. _"We can defeat Kronos without releasing the previous rulers of Daluram. Your former foes are inside those pocket dimensions Napharak…we'd have to destroy them before we can seal the dimensions off. We'd defeat Kronos and the former rulers of Daluram as the same time."_ Still Napharak did not answer. Donpreoni told Raven and the others that the only way to get Napharak's cooperation would be to keep him in power and by eliminating the former rulers of Daluram, Napharak would not have to worry about his former enemies returning to reclaim the throne of Daluram. _"I know it's a risk…but I know you're also a man who thrives off taking high risks."_

_"One can never achieve everything without first risking everything."_

_"So help us Napharak – be the hero you once were."_

_"If you want my assistance then you will have to beat me first then."_ Napharak explained, finally shifting his position as he moved into a more combat-orientated position, moving his staff so that the tip was aimed at Raven. "Necrosis, stand down!" he shouted to his brother. Robin and Necrosis were on the brink of nearly killing one another as they were grabbing each other's arm with their blades inches away from the other person's neck. Both of them had stopped immediately upon Napharak's words, glancing over to him and Raven.

"Uh…I think I missed something here," Robin spoke as the two fighters separated. Necrosis had a good idea of what had transpired but Robin was completely clueless. However, Raven's calm demeanor told Robin that things were progressing.

"We settle this like demons Raven," Napharak said softly as his eyes began to glow more brightly.

"If that's what it takes to get you to listen."

"It's what is necessary to show me your resolve," Napharak answered as his staff began to glow next.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

"Izballa Halla Sozintho!"

Raven's beam of dark energy collided with Napharak's red energies. The room was flooded with bright lights of alternating shades of white and red. The energies merged halfway between the two mystics, forming an orb of swirling red and black that slowly grew in size. It held a consistent volume for a short period of time before suddenly expanding rapidly in all directions in a massive explosion.

After the ringing in his ears had ceased and his eyes readjusted to the light levels in the room, Robin peeled himself off of the floor and looked up to see both Raven and Napharak down on one knee, panting softly.

"I…concede," Napharak finally spoke. "If all your friends are as strong as you…then you may actually stand a chance."

"We will win…but we're going to need your help too. Help us defeat Kronos and you can rule Daluram like you were meant to – with equality and reasoning rather than fear," Raven spoke as she walked over to him, offering a hand to the demon ruler. "As long as there is hope and a spirit willing, victory can still be achieved."

"Never imagined…somebody would use my own words against me…" he replied softly before clasping her hand firmly. "Let us get you and your friends back to where you belong."


	18. Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter Eighteen: Calm Before the Storm**

**Things were finally starting to go the Titan's way. **Having gone from being scattered across the plains of Daluram to scaling the highest mountain in the land and now the Titans and their new allies had gathered in the throne room of the citadel. With the exception of Terubia, they were all glad with the prospect of finally going home, though they all knew that the fight would be ever greater once they returned to Jump City. The only member of the group displeased with the current plan was Terubia but one could not blame her since Napharak had ordered the death of her entire family and clan, so her mindset was still bent on revenge. However, for the sake of her friends, Terubia was willing to set her own personal wishes aside.

For the past ten minutes, Napharak had stepped out of the room to venture to his library in order to search for the proper scrolls. Raven, Blackfire, Tyrael, and Robin were all sitting in a row on the steps leading up to the throne, each of them just catching their breath after a grueling battle.

"How are you holding up Cyborg?" Robin asked since his friend had expressed concerns over his sonic cannon earlier.

"Burnt my sonic cannon out about five shots into the fight," Cyborg explained as he pointed to his forearm, which had noticeable scorch marks along the length of it. "When we get back home, I suggest we head back to the tower so I can fix it…along with half of my other circuits. I blew out about a dozen power relays when Terubia gave me a recharge."

"When we get back I seriously need a hot meal and a cup of coffee," Jacqueline sighed lightly. "Otherwise I'm going to pass out half-way through the next fight." There was a round of nods in agreement from the others – they were all tired and famished, but there would be little time to rest after they returned to Jump City.

"We'll go to the Tower the moment we get back to Jump City. We'll get organized and patch ourselves up before we take on Kronos," Robin formalized the plans, though the others were likely to do so anyways. They were getting anxious and impatient waiting on Napharak to return. In hindsight, Robin wished he had insisted more and having at least one of them go with Napharak to make sure he stuck with the plan and didn't bail on them.

It wasn't until another fifteen minutes had passed before Napharak finally returned. "Your plan had better work," Napharak warned as he motioned for them to follow him. Napharak led them away from the throne room to a small chamber where the only object was a large crystal resting upon a large metal frame. "I haven't had to use this thing in a long time."

"Uh…what is it?" Beast Boy asked since he had no idea what the giant violet crystal was.

"It's a nodal crystal, it helps focus mystic energies," Raven explained, though Beast Boy still just stared at her blankly. "It's like a big magnet for magic."

"I haven't had to use this crystal since I transported Daluram into an alternate dimension in order to save it from Trigon. I haven't had a need or want for another nodal crystal since," Napharak explained as he walked up to the crystal and ran his fingertips along the transparent violet surface. " Time to get you guys home…"

* * *

Unfortunately, without a proper node to act as a marker for their destination the accuracy of Napharak's dimensional gateway was less than perfect. Similar as to how they first left Jump City, the black circular gateway grew outwards in the middle of a downtown street before ballooning upwards and then receding to reveal the Titans and their allies.

"Ahhh man! It's good to be back!" Cyborg was the first to exclaim his joy for returning to his beloved home. The other Titans, however, were less elated as they realized that despite appearing in the middle of a downtown street, their sudden appearance had not disturbed their surrounding in the least. In fact, the streets were completely empty.

"Where is everybody?" Starfire asked as she glanced about.

"I don't know…but I'm guessing it's related to that," Tyrael answered, pointing to several plumes of smoke rising in the air several blocks away.

"Uh…Robin…" Raven said softly, tapping his shoulder and then directing everyone's attention to a shocking sight. At the street corner, amidst several impact craters and broken cars, was a six-foot high block of blue crystal. The sight of the crystal itself was surprising but the sight of a shocked Kid Flash.

"Kid Flash!" Robin shouted as Robin and the other Titans raced over.

"What's happened to him?" Beast Boy asked, poking the strange crystal.

"Well at least Kronos wasn't being left unopposed," Raven stated, though her words came at little comfort.

"Crystalized chronotons…" Cyborg said as he analyzed the crystal encasing their ally. "He's been frozen in time – literally."

"Can you get him out?" Robin asked.

"If we get him back to the Tower, I can carve him out of it…but it would take a couple of hours," Cyborg explained. They all knew that time was not something that they had so they would have to go without Kid Flash's assistance.

"Guys! Over here!" Jacqueline's voice rang out loudly. She was on the opposite street corner next to a collapsed portion of a small building. The corner of the building had collapsed, burying something beneath tonnes of bricks. Blackfire moved quickly to start moving the bricks to the side. As the other Teen Titans, minus Cyborg, gathered around as they all caught a glimpse of yet more crystal. They feared the worse but those fears slowly began to die down as further removal of the debris showed that it was not a person encased in crystal, but a person made of crystal – it was Kole, the young girl that could transform her body into an indestructible crystal. They all realized that she must've crystallized in order to protect herself and couldn't revert back to normal once the bricks and steel buried her.

"It's Kole!" Beast Boy was the first to point out the obvious. Blackfire carefully pulled the crystallized girl out of the debris and soon after the girl reverted back into her human form. Though battered and tired, the young girl managed a weak smile upon recognizing the faces of her friends who had been missing for almost three days.

"Robin…it's…really you…" she said weakly.

"Kole, what happened to you?" Robin asked, though he had a general idea he wanted something more specific.

"Kid Flash…called for help. The other Titans came…but everything started falling apart. Kronos was…just too strong. Kept saying…we all had to be purged…for the future. Speedy…ordered a retreat but…I couldn't get away in time."

"The other Titans? Where did they go?"

"Back…to your tower." Those were Kole's last words as she slipped into unconsciousness. Robin and the others exchanged glances with one another, curious as to how much had happened in their absence. The fighting appeared to have started only just recently and two of their allies were already out of the fight.

"Back to the tower, now!" Robin motioned for the others to hurry along.

* * *

What the Titans found at the Titan Tower was almost as shocking as what they had found in the streets when they first arrived. Even in their absence, the tower was used by other local heroes in organizing a defense against the seemingly unstoppable Kronos. Robin and the others were greeted by Mas and brought back to the living room where Speedy and several other Titan allies were located, looking at maps and photographs of the city and the damage caused by Kronos.

"Robin!" Speedy shouted upon seeing the missing Titan. "Where the heck have you been? And…who are those guys?"

"It's a long story and this is Tyrael, Jacqueline, Terubia, Blackfire, and Napharak," Robin quickly introduced the new faces to Speedy. "What's been going on?"

"Also a long story," he sighed lightly.

Robin turned to his friends. "Take twenty minutes – eat, drink, rest, and whatever else you need to do and then meet me back here to discuss our next move." The others nodded their head and quickly dispersed. Robin remained with Speedy though, turning back to view the maps and photos as well. "How's your team?"

"Bee's got a mild concussion and is recovering right now. Menos' leg is broken so he's out of action for a while. Aqualad is still being thawed out near the pool. My bow was broken and my shoulder was almost dislocated by that Kronos guy. I don't know where in blazes he came from, but he just plowed through out team with little difficulty. We sent out a call to everybody for help and so far we've been doing rotations to try and keep Kronos under control but…we've been losing ground ever since. I've been trying to keep things organized from here but things just keeping getting uglier and uglier by the hour."

"Kronos is tough – from what I've heard he's incredibly powerful. So powerful that he has to store excess energy in specially made pocket dimensions to prevent some sort of destabilization. I'm…not exactly sure what it all means but that's how it was explained to me."

"Sort of like a balloon? The more air it has, the easier it is to pop," Speedy suggested a simple analogy to ease the confusion.

"Something like that. It's unlikely he'll use enough of it for him to be vulnerable so our best bet is to destroy those pocket dimensions to greatly weaken his strength. There's a demon protecting each one though, so it's going to be tough."

"I'd offer help but there's few people left to fight at this point. Almost everybody's in need of some rest or we could start having fatalities."

"Who's out there now?"

"Currently it's…uh, Red Star, Panthar, Wildebeast, and Jinx. Last time I heard a call from them they were slowly losing ground. I give them about another half hour before I need to pull them out?"

"Then who would you send in?"

"I…honestly don't know. Whoever's willing," Speedy sighed. While annoyed at how long it took for the Titans to return, he was grateful that they finally had some reinforcements. They were on their last few breaths of life in this battle. "Do you…think you'll have enough to handle things on your own?"

"We should be fine. According to Raven, Napharak's incredibly powerful so he should be a great help against Kronos," Robin took a closer look at the maps of the city, which showed various city blocks in either shades of red or green. "Is this Kronos' movement?"

"Right. We've been tracking his movements since he first appeared. For the first hour he worked in a very methodical sweep of the city block by block. After our first major attack, he shifted course and he's been making a B-line straight for here."

"Why was he doing such a thorough sweep?" Robin pondered. It made no sense to be doing such a methodical sweep through the city. It seemed more like Kronos was looking for something…or someone. "Any ideas?"

"No need for ideas. He's targeting people like us."

"Heroes?"

"Heroes…mostly people with some sort of super human power. We found six civilians with super human powers who were being targeted by Kronos during the attacks. He's probably coming to here because…we've gathered every person who fits the criteria here."

"That's just great…" Robin sighed lightly. "It's too late to move them elsewhere."

"Not with the number of wounded we have now. Maybe if Kid Flash was still conscious but…I should've been able to do more," Speedy said as he punched the console in his frustration.

"I'm going to go get ready, I'll be right back. Oh and…don't blame yourself Speedy. You did all you could do."

* * *

"Hey sis, you in there?" Blackfire called out as he knocked on Starfire's bedroom door. A few moments later the door opened with Starfire on the other side.

"What is it sister?"

"Don't know about you but I'm not going to war looking like this," Blackfire said as she stepped inside, not even waiting for Starfire to step aside for her. Thanks to great deal of conflict in Daluram, Blackfire's clothing was a complete mess. The armor she wore underneath had several punctures, cuts, and tears making it virtually useless in terms of protection. "I'm going to borrow something from your wardrobe." Starfire only sighed softly at her sister's behavior – some things just never change.

"Go right ahead sister," Starfire agreed though Blackfire wasn't looking for an okay from her sister. Blackfire headed over to the closet and started browsing through multiple identical wardrobes in an attempt to find something unique. "So dear sister…does this mean that you are…changing your ways?"

"You mean am I going to stop being a bad girl and clean up my act?"

"Yes."

"I'm thinking about it," Blackfire said softly. "I'm…going to try to do things right for a change."

"What happened on Daluram sister? You never spoke what transpired before my rescue with the exception of a few vague comments that were of no assistance. I know you do not like me asking questions but could you please answer this one?"

"You've asked two actually," Blackfire remarked before disappearing into the closet to search deeper into her sister's wardrobe. "I'm not an open person Koriand'r, you of all people should know that. Besides, if you really want to know you can just ask Robin – he'll be happy to answer you. Hmm…didn't think you still had this one." Blackfire emerged from the closet carrying the only wardrobe that Starfire had that wasn't the same as all the others. Instead of Starfire's usual purple it was black and similar to Blackfire's wardrobe. It was the wardrobe that Starfire wore when she first arrived on Earth – a traditional Tamaranean battle garb.

"Wow. I did not think I had kept that," Starfire said with a bit of surprise at the familiar set of clothing.

"So…has Robin asked you out yet?"

"What? Sister I do not believe that this is the proper time to be discussing such matters," Starfire quickly replied, flustering slightly in her usual easily embarrassed way. Blackfire just poked her head out from her spot and smirked. "He…hasn't."

"Somehow that doesn't really surprise me. With all his objections to your marriage I should be surprised that he didn't take this second chance to make a move but then again even spending one night in a cave with him is enough to realize that he's more shut-in than me. So why haven't you done anything?"

"I...I don't know. It has never seemed to be a good time for it…"

"Waiting for the right time…that's sooo typical of you," Blackfire said as she stepped out back into view, now wearing the Tamaranean battle garbs. With the exception of a few extra armor plates and the M-shaped crest framing her face, it wasn't much different from her previous attire. "If you keep waiting for the ideal opportunity you're going to wind up missing the best opportunity you'll have. You think he's going to wait forever? Seriously...you wait and you'll wind up missing out on a lot of things."

"But you have always lived in the moment and I do not see you having much success with your life."

"Ouch…that was a low blow sis," Blackfire said as she frowned slightly. "Unfortunately that's also true. I took it to an extreme…a mistake I'm not going to make again."

"Sister…please tell me what happened on Daluram."

"I nearly joined mom and dad, okay?" Blackfire snapped, though not very angrily at her sister. "It was that wake-up call that everybody gets to remind them that they're mortal like everything else around them. I…dropped guard and got bitten by some poisonous creature."

"Did it…hurt a lot?

"I could practically feel my organs swell inside me. Hurt like a hot iron rod through the gut."

"Did you really think you were going to die?"

"I was hoping I was…then I start blurting out various things when I was at the peak of discomfort."

"What did you say?"

* * *

"Doors unlocked," Robin called out to whoever knocked on his door as he was busy loading his belt with a fresh supply of weapons. When the door opened, it was Starfire who stepped into the room. "Hey Star, something the matter?" He found it odd that Starfire was stopping by his room considering he was going to be meeting with the other Titans in a few minutes back in the main room.

"I…wanted to speak with you before the fight." Before Robin could reply, he noticed Blackfire passing by the door in the familiar outfit that had been borrowed from Starfire's wardrobe. He smiled slightly at the sight of it, remembering the day that he first met Starfire. "Firstly, I wish to thank you for everything you did for my sister back on Daluram. She told me what she said to you and what you said in response and…I believe it left a significant impression on her."

"Well I was…just trying to do what I could to help. She was in a lot of discomfort…"

"If you remember, 'kindness' is not something that is very common on my planet. While Galfore was also her K'Norfka, he was less able to show the same amount of kindness to my sister as he did with me. My sister was…never able to get close to anybody and as such she was rarely, if ever, shown any amount of kindness. Whenever I got into trouble, even though it was my sister who helped me out of trouble, she would always be blamed in the end for allowing me to get into trouble, even if it was not her fault. Sometimes I believe that night was the first real time somebody had genuinely shown kindness to her…and I believe because it came from somebody who resented her so much in the beginning made it more important for her. While I once believed that I might be able to change her heart with an act of kindness, I see now what she needed was an act of kindness from the last person she expected it from. She told me that she not only hopes to start a new life on Earth, but that she might…one day be able to become a Teen Titan as well."

For a few moments, Robin stared dumbly at Starfire as he struggled to find something to say to all of that. He had never once imagined that something so…small would've made such an impact on Blackfire. Perhaps a few days ago, Robin would've said that Blackfire was simply yanking her sister's chain again but now Robin could actually believe those words. After all, Blackfire risked her life to save her sister – Robin couldn't ask for a larger sign of reformation than that. "Uh…y-you're welcome," Robin finally stammered out.

"There was…one other thing I wanted to talk to you about," Starfire continued, starting to blush slightly. "Do you remember when we first met?"

"How could I forget that day? We formed the Teen Titans, saved the city from a bunch of aliens, and…" Robin trailed off as he realized he was about to say 'you kissed me'. Robin figured that wasn't a very important feature of that day to her, though it was for him. "I made four good friends," Robin quickly added something else in to save face.

"It was a very important day…for all of us." Starfire fell silent afterwards as she too was having trouble finding the right words. "My sister tells me that I should stop waiting for the perfect moment but now that I think about it, I do not know what the perfect moment would be or what I would say during it."

"Just…say whatever comes to mind," Robin encouraged her though a little oblivious as to what she was talking about.

"Ever since that day…I have known that there was something…different about you. You have done more for me these past many months than most people have in my entire life. Uh…I am having trouble putting what I want to say into your language…"

"Well…what would your people say in this situation?"

Starfire didn't answer at first as she continued to contemplate the issue. Finally she figured action would speak louder than words and there weren't many things that spoke what she felt louder than quickly putting her hand on the back of Robin's head and pulling him in and stealing a second kiss from him, much to Robin's surprise. From the open door, two sets of eyes were peering into the room with much curiosity.

"Damn, didn't think she'd actually do that…" Blackfire muttered to herself.

"You owe me ten bucks," Cyborg said, smirking triumphantly.


	19. Chapter 19: The Decoys

**Chapter Nineteen: The Decoys  
**

**"Who's there?"** Raven asked as she cracked her door slightly ajar. Standing on the other side was the cloaked demonic sorcerer, just as Raven had expected. Despite now being an ally, Raven had not spoken much with Napharak since she convinced him to join up with them. Part of her wanted to talk with him again like they had before, even if it was just a lie. Or was it? Why did the ones that always seemed to compliment her so much were the ones that were lying to her? It was like Malchoir all over again, except a little less forward with Napharak. "What do you want?"

"Still mad at me I take it?"

"Well aside from the lying, trying to kill my friends, working with Kronos, and slaughtering an entire tribe of nkrath…I'd say we're just peachy with one another."

"Been talking with Terubia I take?"

"Actually I'm still here," Terubia's voice pushed into the conversation as she poked her head in behind Raven. To no surprise, Terubia wasn't looking too pleased with Napharak's presence. "And you got a lot of nerve showing your face here like this."

"I was attempting to make amends but I can see that my presence is unwanted. It doesn't matter really – Robin is waiting for you two in the command center so I suggest we be on our way," Napharak explained, a hint of disdain in his voice when he was addressing Terubia. The two demons just stared bitterly at one another for the briefest of moments before Napharak turned and walked off without another word. Though Raven could understand the quarrel between the two demons, she wished it hadn't degraded to such a spat…she would've liked to have at least had a few words with him before they embarked on their mission.

"You know, with the way you two are behaving, you're probably going to be put on the same team when we split up," Raven commented as the two exited her room. Terubia didn't say anything in response, merely rolling her eyes in disgust at the thought. The two hurried along to regroup with Robin and the others in the living of the tower.

The others were already there waiting for them, gathered around a large holographic map of the city. Everyone glanced over to Raven and Terubia before returning their attention to the map. "Alright everyone, this is the big one. Kronos has been working his way down the main drag towards the Tower. Red Star and his team have been putting up a resistance since the 10th line but have been pushed back about five blocks in the past ten minutes. According to Red Star's last report, they can hold for another ten minutes or so before they'll be forced to pull back to recover. If that's the case, then Cyborg estimates they'll be only seven blocks from the waterfront."

"Not exactly what I call a lot of breathing room," Tyrael commented. "We'd have about fifteen minutes to get into this pocket dimensions, destroy them, and get out."

"The demons within those realms are not going to make that easy," Napharak added. "The battle in those dimensions could take up to an hour if we're lucky."

"I am puzzled. The Sage told us that the former rulers of Daluram were banished to those realms by Kronos – why would they now help him by fighting us off?" Starfire inquired.

"Well they've both been held prisoner in a pocket dimension for almost fifteen years – entirely alone. At this point, if madness hasn't set in already, they're so desperate to curry Kronos' favor they'll do anything he asks. The first one is Emmanrutak, the High Elder of the Taurantons, and the other is Rifstrae, the High Elder for the Yerwns. Needless to say, both are exceptionally powerful demons. Neither are the most intelligent beings in the universe but they've never understood anything more than brute strength so don't expect them to be reasoned with."

"So how are we going to beat them quickly?" Beast Boy asked the obvious question.

"You don't. We're going to need somebody to keep Kronos preoccupied and I'm the girl to do it!" Blackfire said confidently, cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "I faired well against him the last time, I think I can buy you guys enough time to take down those demon lords."

"Sister, I do not think you should do that. Kronos will be more powerful than he was the last time. You might not be able to hold him off on your own," Starfire's concern was obvious as she attempted to reason with her sister. However, Starfire knew that what her sister spoke was the truth. Somebody would have to face Kronos when he was at his most powerful levels. The task of trying to hold Kronos off for anywhere up to an hour was practically suicide…but somebody had to do it.

"Then come with me. I don't think I'd rather have anybody else fighting at my side than you." Starfire was a bit taken back by her sister's request. While flattered, she wasn't sure if she was the right person to take along to go against Kronos.

"If you're going to go up against Kronos, I'll help too," Cyborg volunteered just so Starfire wouldn't be left alone.

"No, stay with the others. Destroying those dimensions is priority. The more people you have going in, the faster you'll get it done."

"She's right Cyborg," Robin nodded reluctantly. "Starfire and Blackfire…relieve Red Star and his team and engage Kronos. I don't care how you do but don't let Kronos reach the tower. Got it?" The two sisters nodded concurrently. "Be careful and make sure you come back." Robin was reluctant to send Starfire out to go against Kronos but if anybody could withstand Kronos' power for upwards of an hour, it was Starfire and her sister. Since it'd take time to reach Red Star and his team, the two Tamaraneans headed out to intercept Kronos. By the time they reached Kronos, Robin and the others would already be busy dealing with the demon lords. Robin couldn't shake the feeling that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Now that we've got that problem out of the way, we need to focus on the matter at hand. There are two dimensions and we need to take them both down quickly. Raven will take one team to one dimension and I'll take the other," Napharak resumed the mission briefing. Raven and Napharak were the only two capable of dimensional travel, so they were forced to go into separate groups as much as Raven would've liked fighting alongside Napharak.

"Alright then - Cyborg, Tyrael, and Jacqueline will accompany Raven. Beast Boy, Terubia, and myself will go with Napharak." Robin's news merely made Terubia shake her head in annoyance. Raven was right - she wound up being with Napharak.

"We go in, we hit them hard and fast and then get the hell out of there. Once you've defeated the demon lord, Raven will know how to close the dimension," Napharak replied, not sounding too thrilled about being paired with Terubia either. He aimed the crystal on his staff towards the living room window and summoned a pair of portals that formed against the glass. "Who wants to see what fabulous prizes await behind door number one?"

Raven and her team hurried through the first portal while Robin and the rest entered the second. Everything up to this point has been easy compared to the dangers they were about to face.

* * *

"Red Star. Come in Red Star. This is Starfire, do you read me?" 

"This is Red Star. What is your location?"

"We are very close. You may retreat back to the Tower. We shall handle things from here."

"Very well then. Be careful Starfire, he is very powerful."

Starfire pocketed her communicator and looked over to her sister. The two stood atop a small apartment building overlooking a whole city block's worth of fire and destruction. In the distance, they watched as their fellow allies beat a hasty retreat back to the tower. "Looks like it's up to us now Star."

"Look, there he is!" Starfire pointed out the unmistakable figure of Kronos. With the exception of a few nicks and scraps in the armor, it was the same armored figure as before. He was moving at a leisurely pace down the road, almost as if toying with the other Titans by prolonging the inevitable. "Sister…if you do not mind me asking, why did you volunteer for such a dangerous mission?"

"They're all dangerous sis. Where's your sense of adventure? Come on, how hard could it be?" No sooner had those words left her mouth did an energy bolt strike the elder sister square in the chest, knocking her halfway across the apartment roof.

"Sister!" Starfire looked back down to where she had last seen Kronos only to find an empty street. "Are you okay sister?" Starfire called out as she turned to head to her sister's aid but instead found herself staring face-to-face with Kronos. Starfire didn't even have time to question how Kronos got up there so quickly before she was struck down with a strong punch, sending Starfire over the edge of the building and impacting on the sidewalk below.

"Big mistake buddy!" Blackfire picked herself off the ground and charged towards Kronos. She charged a starbolt in one hand and swung hard, only to have her fist caught in mid-swing. Kronos' massive hand squeezed tightly around her fist before discharging an electrical current through her. Blackfire grit her teeth through the pain as landed on the ground again, trying desperately to free herself from his grip.

"I see you have returned young Blackfire. I knew it was a mistake to trust Napharak with handling you lot. I will crush you like I will crush everyone else you know."

"Not going to happen!" Blackfire grunted through the pain as she gave up her efforts to pull free and instead grabbed hold of Kronos' with her free hand. Using her Tamaranean strength, Blackfire pulled Kronos right off his feet and slammed him straight into the ground with such force that the rooftop around them gave way and the pair plummeted into the building. Blackfire took advantage of Kronos' momentary disorientation, getting atop of him and pounding as hard as she can with her fists, the constant blows causing the floor below them to also crumble. Blackfire simply held on tight and continued wailing on Kronos, falling through each floor as she gave it her all. Before she knew it though, the two had fallen onto the ground floor and onto solid ground.

Outside, Starfire was finally regaining her composure from the forceful blow. She could hear the sounds of fighting coming from inside the building and she was about to go assist when Blackfire came flying out the front doors of the apartment building, unfortunately not under her own control. The two sisters collided before hitting the bus on the opposite side of the road. Groaning slightly, the two got back to their feet in time to see Kronos' exiting the building, walking with his usual leisurely pace.

"He's a lot stronger than I remember," Blackfire groaned, rubbing the side of her head.

"That is because I'm allocating 75 of my maximum power this time, as opposed to the 25 I had previously. Be assured Titans, I will not be underestimating you this time."

"Three times as strong, huh?" Blackfire smirked, still managing a confident smirk despite the overwhelming odds. "Good thing I wasn't giving it my all either," Blackfire reached back and grabbed hold of the bus by the underside. She lifted the bus above her head and pitched it at Kronos. Kronos didn't even try to move as the bus crushed him against the wall before it exploded. Blackfire didn't even have time for a retort when the engine block of the bus came flying right back at her and knocked her through the wall. There was no time for worrying about her sister this time as Starfire fired starbolts at Kronos while charging him.

Her eyebeams tore up the road before detonating harmlessly upon Kronos' energy field. When Starfire closed in, Kronos' fired an energy bolt at point-blank range causing Starfire to land hard on the ground. As he stood over her, he clenched his fist and a sword-like weapon of pure energy generated in his hand. Starfire bolted off the ground in time to avoid being sliced in half by the sword, returning fire with a flurry of starbolts, which were easily parried by the sword-wielding warrior.

"Quick…but not fast enough," Kronos remarked before glancing over to an oncoming car that struck down the warrior princess.

However, it wasn't the only car to come flying out of left field as a second automobile, this time thrown by the elder sister, fell from the sky. It took him by a bit of surprise, flattening him against the concrete. Blackfire flew up high and began barraging the car with starbolts until the entire area was engulfed with smoke and fire. The smoke parted as Kronos rocketed towards Blackfire and drove his knee into her stomach. Another blow to her back sent back to the earth and impacting into the black asphalt.

Blackfire cursed under her breath as she staggered back to her feet. Kronos was already standing in front of Blackfire with his fist ready to come crashing down on her. "Ah man…" she sighed to herself as she had nothing to do except watch the fist smash into her face and send her back to her ground. Blackfire hurried to rise back up and delivered an uppercut into Kronos' jaw. In retaliation, Kronos' grabbed her by her wrist and twisted and wrenched her arm straight, holding the Tamaranean in place. Blackfire clenched her teeth as she watched Kronos' drive his elbow into her upper arm, creating a distinctive popping sound as her shoulder dislocated. Her cry echoed through the streets as she collapsed to the ground, nursing her arm that now hung limply by her side.

"Bastard…" she growled under her breath as she tried to cope with the throbbing pain through her entire shoulder.

"You only prolong your suffering little girl. Surrender and I'll make this painless for you," Kronos said as he grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her off her feet. "This is for the greater good."

"And what greater good would that be?" she grunted as she tried to pry his hand off her.

"The destruction of life on this planet. Unfortunately, now is not the time for stories," Kronos answered before hurling her through a brick wall. The force of the throw knocked through the entire building and into the alley behind it. Kronos knew he wouldn't be seeing her anytime soon.

Down the road, Starfire was finishing prying the car off of her and getting airborne again. She saw no sign of her sister but did spot Kronos still standing in the middle of the road. Taking a few deep breaths to ready herself again before launching another attack. A flurry of starbolts pelted the entire area containing Kronos, though Kronos pushed through the onslaught and rushed Starfire. She used her charged fists to lessen the felt impacts as she blocked the series of punches and kicks Kronos threw at her. Starfire tried to push Kronos back, striking back with a trio of kicks that Kronos retreated to avoid a strong hit. Starfire doubled back, recalling Blackfire's success with using her starbolts when they first encountered Kronos. Her starbolts scattered through the air as Kronos buzzed through the air in evasive actions. The two warriors bean exchanging fire with Kronos firing larger energy bolts at her. She tried to move in closer to increase her accuracy but instead got the full brunt of a heavy energy beam, swatting her out of the air like a mosquito.

She landed hard on a building rooftop, punching through a water tower first and spilling its contents all over the roof. Starfire shook the water out of her hair as she refocused her thoughts. Starfire looked up to Kronos and saw a crescent-shaped wave of huge cascading towards her. There was only time to turn and dive out of the path as the wave of energy cut a path from top to bottom, slicing the building into two pieces. Starfire raced over to the water tower and prying one of the metal girders off the support structure. She flew back up to Kronos, taking a major-league swing at her opponent. Kronos pulled a familiar move though, coating his entire body in flame and melting the steel beam as it made contact.

"Nice try," Kronos taunted, charging energy and focusing it into the form of an explosion that detonated a few feet in front of her. Starfire fell from the sky, clipping the edge of a building and falling to the road.

"How…much longer?" Starfire groaned as rolled onto her back.

"Unfortunately your time will not be coming," Kronos answered as he landed on ground in front of her. "Your friends are not going to be able to defeat Emmanrutak and Rifstrae."

"What? How…"

"Please. Do you really think I haven't taken this plan into account as I waited for my suit to repair? I assume you've brought Napharak along with you. I must admit it is a clever plan to try and seal my pocket dimensions in order to limit my power. Even if you do, I'll still be roughly twice as powerful as when you first fought me."

"You…are a bad…man."

"Once again, you people are misinterpreting my actions," Kronos shook his head slowly while crouching down beside Starfire. "If only you knew the things that I did. If only you have seen the world that I have witnessed."

"And what world would that have been?"

"The future my little friend," he chuckled lightly, oddly patting Starfire on the head. She tried to charge another starbolt but when Kronos saw the glow he halted her attempts with a crushing blow to her gut. "Time traveling is a remarkable little thing, though the technology was lost about four centuries before my time. Of course now I don't even need a machine like some other time traveling wannabes – a combination of magic and technological innovation can do more than either one of those fields on their own. What I do today is the product of nearly thirty years of research and sacrifice…a lot of people died so I can make things right again."

"And…what right…would that be?"

"Well I'd explain it all to you but I'm afraid its time for you to die now," Kronos said as he rose back to his feet. His hands glowed brightly as he channeled his energy for the final attack. Suddenly, a series of starbolts detonated against his back, causing the energy to disperse. Kronos turned about to see Blackfire with another starbolt ready to fire. Her arm still hung limply by her side as she panted heavily and used the wall beside her to keep herself on her feet. Before Kronos could make a move, another beam of energy was fired, blasting the armored warrior away from Starfire.

"Hands…off my sister…"


	20. Chapter 20: Chaos and Destruction

**Chapter Twenty: Chaos and Destruction**

**"Where are we?"** Robin asked as he and his group stepped along the stony fields of the strange new dimensions. The sky was a fiery red filled with black clouds and the scent of sulfur and brimstone clung to the air and stung their noses. The land looked as though it was forged by the hardened magma of a hundred volcanoes that decorated the horizon so fully that it seemed that they were located in the only flat plain in a hundred miles. Ahead of them was a visible light source of dim orange and red.

"This is a realm of chaos my little friend," Napharak answered as he followed closely behind Robin with Beast Boy and Terubia taking up the rear. As they moved in closer they could see that the source of light was also the source of the pungent odor they smelt. Standing only a few meters from away, the heroes now saw that they stood before a large pool of bubbling lava, fed by the fire of the earth below and kept in a permanent liquid form unlike the surroundings. Within the lava were several large stones were floating in a circular motion as something created a current in the pool.

"Dude, I'm just sweating just standing here," Beast Boy panted softly as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "Where the heck is this demon lord anyways?"

"Unfortunately green one, our target is waiting in there," Napharak regretfully explained as he pointed to the pool of lava. "Bloody hell…I was hoping to get Emmanrutak but instead we got Rifstrae."

"I take it she's the stronger of the two?" Beast Boy asked, now a bit nervous.

"Not exactly…she's just the smarter of the two and as such, she hates me more than Emmanrutak," Napharak explained as he walked up to the edge of the pool. "I must warn you, Daluram was a realm where strength ruled above all else and Rifstrae has ruled over Daluram the longest – so you can guess what that means in terms of her abilities."

"I'd say the living in a pool of lava to be impressive enough," Beast Boy answered. "Are you sure she's actually in there?"

"Her name means 'Fury of the Sun' and she's got a temper to match it. Lava's like a warm bath to her and she breaths radioactive plasma." Napharak continued as he reached down and picked up a small rock. "Get out m'dear, you're not fooling anybody…" With that he pitched the rock into the center of the lava and watched it slowly sink and melt. Within seconds, bubbles started forming in the center of the lava, which made Napharak slowly back up from his spot. The bubbles soon turned into a growing bulge that burst when the demon lord broke through to the surface, sending a shower of lava in all directions.

One looks was enough for any person, human or demon, to understand why this female Yerwn was a ruler of Daluram for thousands of years. Her black-scaled wings spanned more than ten feet in each direction, her body more than fifteen feet high, and with more muscle underneath her red-and-black-scaled body than one could shake a stick at. The Yerwn was akin to a cross between a human and the dragon, with a scaly body, sharp talons, long neck, and head of a dragon but in a more upright posture. Two thick horns extended from the side of her streamline head, twisting in a circular curl several times before straightening out and ending just a few inches past the tip of her nose. Her eyes were a burning crimson red and every breath she exhaled caused plumes of green plasma to escape between her teeth and nostril.

"Well if it isn't Kronos' lapdog." Rifstrae was high-pitched and rumbled like an overpowered furnace, which was almost enough to make Robin and Beast Boy cringe in discomfort. "You are a fool to be coming here. Mark my words, I shall see to it that you never leave this realm alive Napharak."

"You have always had a way of getting straight to the point Rifstrae," Napharak casually replied. "It is time to bury you along with all the other relics of Daluram so that our people may embrace a new future free of chaos and destruction. You will be the first to fall." Without another word, Napharak fired a bolt of energy from the end of his staff that struck Rifstrae square in the chest, causing the mighty demon to let out a monstrous roar.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted his trademark catchphrase, signaling Terubia and Beast Boy to spring forward. Beast Boy transformed into a raven, flying high and biding his time for a better opportunity to strike. Currently with Rifstrae in the pool of lava it was difficult to approach on foot. Terubia had little difficult closing the gap as she jumped upon one of the floating stones and used the current to move around the massive demon. "Any last second advice Napharak?" Robin asked as he moved to the demon's side.

"Try not to get hit by the green stuff, it tends to make stuff vaporize instantly," Napharak answered before teleporting several meters away. Robin would've appreciated a more direct warning as he dove out the way to avoid being hit by the plasma. There was no explosion or flying rock as the plasma left only a dimple in the ground of perfectly smooth rock, the surface being vaporized by the heat. Robin joined Terubia on the rocks, keeping the Yerwn's attention on him by hitting her with a handful of explosive discs.

"Foolish little human, you weapons cannot stop me," Rifrtae taunted, blasting the rock that Robin, up until the last possible moment, had stood upon with a blast of plasma.

"Nosparatas infidium tosdo!" Napharak chanted his incantations, his staff levitating in front of him, summoning a series of a blue energy blast to fly from his fingertips, The bombardment of energy spread outwards before converging back upon Rifstrae, engulfing her in a rapid series of a dozen explosions. However, even Napharak's powerful magics were no match for the protective hide of the ancient Yerwn, who parted her wings that had shielded the attack and dissipated the smoke. Rifstrae set her sights on Napharak, charging another blast of plasma, though Terubia had other plans in store. Having floated all the way behind Rifstrae, Terubia pounced upon the Yerwn's back, sinking her claws and teeth into the demon's upper back and causing it to throw its head back in shock.

"Robin, throw me!" Beast Boy shouted after he had reverted to his human form and landed beside his friend. After changing into an armadillo, Robin picked up his companion and threw the curled-up animal with all his strength aimed directly at the Yerwn's head. Halfway through the air, Beast Boy changed from a small armadillo to a much larger, heavier hippopotamus that clobbered Rifstrae in the head before landing safely on the other side of the lava pool.

Still trying to get through the thick hide, Terubia was holding on for her life as Rifstrae rocked back and forth in the lava from Beast Boy's attack. Terubia was beginning to doubt she was even being anything more than a stinging pain on the demon's back. "Always wanted to do this…" she chuckled as she began surging electricity through the demon's body. From behind Terubia, the demon's tail rose out of the lava and swatted Terubia like a fly. Terubia only managed a squeak of pain as the wind was knocked out of her and she lost her grip. When she regained her senses, Terubia saw the pool of lava rushing towards her. She expected a quick but painful death but her plummet suddenly halted just a few feet from the lava. Defying gravity and not under her own force, she was carried over and plopped down on the ground. It was then that Terubia realized that she had just been saved by the same demon that she had vowed vengeance upon.

"You should be careful in the future," Napharak remarked coyly after he had set the girl down.

"Don't think this changes anything between us," Terubia grumbled bitterly as she got back to her feet. Before their conversation could continue, a loud impact noise echoed loudly followed by a pair of screams as Robin and Beast Boy slammed into the ground a few meters behind Terubia and Napharak.

"You two still breathing?"

"Just peachy Napharak," Robin groaned, slowly getting back to his feet. "I'm open for suggestions."

"How about running like scared rabbits?" Beast Boy pointed upwards to Rifstra who had taken the sky and was seconds from unleashing yet another blast of plasma.

* * *

"This place certainly looks…cozy," Cyborg commented as he cast his gaze upon the open landscape containing scattered rock formations and spires. It reminded him of that one time when he was sucked inside of Raven's mind, except a lot more barren and desolate. The sky was black with periodic blasts of lightning in the distance with low, rumbling thunder. Cyborg was on point as the four heroes – Jacqueline, Raven, Tyrael, and Cyborg – journeyed through the unknown realm in search of the demon lord that resided there.

"You picking up anything on your sensors Cyborg?" Raven asked as she moved to only a few feet behind him.

"I'm getting pretty heavy interference on the scanners but who knows what kind of stuff is present in this dimension," Cyborg answered, trying to reconfigure his sensors to get some reading from their surroundings. Amidst the static and non-specific information showing up on his screen, a single blip of data appeared on the screen for a split-second. "Something big just showed up…real big."

"How big?" Jacqueline inquired, being the third in the single-file line.

"All I could tell was that it was bigger than all four of us put together," Cyborg said reluctantly. "Big and slow too."

"It's likely Emmanrutak then. The High Elder of the Tauranton who was known for his astronomical size and strength," Raven explained as she scanned the horizons, looking for signs of a gigantic bull-like demon. "He's about twenty-two feet tall and is probably still carrying his infamous Bonecrusher war hammer. Short tempered and prefers talking with his "

"Sounds like a pleasant fellow," Jacqueline sighed lightly to herself.

"Well where the heck is he? How hard could it be to find a 22-foot bull?" Tyrael grumbled as he scanned the area behind them for a brief moment. "You sure we don't have the dimension with the other one?"

Raven didn't answer as she stopped in her tracks, shutting her eyes as she tried to pinpoint Emmanrutak's location. The wait was brief as Raven opened her eyes and pointed to a rock formation a distance away. "Cyborg – fire a shot there." Raven was wasting no time in getting down to business. She knew Emmanrutak was more likely to fly back to Daluram than listen to them for even an instant. He had a reputation for being immensely paranoid of people during his rule as High Elder and with over a decade of isolation it was anyone's guess at how bad it was now. Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon and fired at the rock formation, blasting a large chunk out of it. It would not have been able to hurt anything behind it but Raven's intention was to let Emmanrutak know that they knew where he was and what their intention was.

Even at their current distance, the low, angered growl of the tauranton before it stepped into view, dwarfing the four heroes and making the elder drakes they had fought early look like a gecko. Standing at the stated twenty-two feet in height, Emmanrutak was like all other taurantons except that he was immense in size and his body hair was very loose and graying in several patches, especially a long beard. His horns were probably more akin to an elk's rather than a bull's with dozens of sharp points branching off two large crescent boney horns. Gripped firmly in both hands was the infamous Bonecrusher that Raven had mentioned – a massive war hammer with a thick metal hammerhead at the end of the shaft with a large axe head on the opposite side.

"Here's the plan, we hit him hard and we hit him fast. Every second count so go!" Raven instructed before the four heroes leapt into action. Emmanrutak let out a monstrous roar of a battlecry before raising his hammer high into the air and smashing it into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave to plow through the earth towards the advancing heroes. Raven and Cyborg both avoided it by going up high with Cyborg firing a shot from his sonic cannon while in mid-jump, though with little effect. Jacqueline and Tyrael were not as fortunate as they knocked aside by the shockwave.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven uprooted a handful of large boulders and hurled them towards her opponent. With one broad swing from his hammer, Emmanrutak smashed all the oncoming boulders. Emmanrutak went on the offensive, charging and smacking aside Cyborg as if he was nothing to him before moving towards Raven. However, the demon's slow and cumbersome attacks with his Bonecrusher were never going to hit Raven as she flew around his swings like a buzzing fly. Unfortunately, Raven's attention was too focused on the warhammer that she failed to react in time when the demon threw its horns at her, striking her hard with a headbutt that narrowly failed to hit her with one of the many points.

Gunfire erupted from Emmanrutak's side with Tyrael finally joining in on the fight. He was successful in drawing the demon's attention away from Raven and onto himself and more importantly, away from Jacqueline who was advancing from the demon's blindspot. She jumped towards a nearby spire and then sprang off the rock to come up into Emmanrutak's view just seconds before she drove her guitar straight into his face. The demon staggered back in pain, slamming his hammer into the ground to create a minor quake in order to prevent the any of the heroes from following through with their successful attack.

"Should we try the same tactic as we did with the Elder Drake?" Raven asked, directing her question primarily to Cyborg.

"I'd rather not fry out another sonic cannon, especially since we've got to fight Kronos after this," Cyborg answered before the three earthbound heroes scattered in all directions to avoid another shockwave.

Cyborg and Tyrael began circling around Emmanrutak, firing their weapons off and causing confusion for the demon, who was uncertain who to attack first. Both managed to get a lengthy barrage off before Emmanrutak finally decided upon Cyborg. The hammer swung low and upwards, knocking Cyborg into the air like a golf ball.

"Cyborg!" Raven shouted as she darted over to try and save her friend from a hard landing.

"Tyrael, hammer!" Jacqueline shouted as she slung her guitar. Knowing exactly what Jacqueline was up to, Tyrael tossed his hammer over to his partner before continuing to divert the demon's attention. Emmanrutak raised his hammer and brought it straight down towards Tyrael. Raven wasn't the only one capable of raising shields as Tyrael put both hands forward and a golden energy shield surrounding him and halted the hammer dead in it's track, transferring all the force into the earth and creating a crater beneath him. Emmanrutak began stomping on the energy field, trying to break Tyrael's fortitude. Every strike pushed Tyrael further into the ground until it was almost up to his neck. The strain was visible on his face as each strike weakened the field. Jacqueline moved in to rescue her comrade, timing her strike for the moment when Emmanrutak lifted his leg to stomp upon Tyrael. Jacqueline channeled her energy into Tyrael's hammer, leapt into air, and struck the back of the demons' other knee. The enhanced force of the strike knocked the leg straight out from under Emmanrutak, sending the 22-foot demon to the ground with a tremendous thud.

"Come on Ty." Jacqueline jumped into the crater to help her comrade, who had collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. She helped her friend up to his feet and the two hurried out of the hole seconds before an axe blade came crashing into the ground, parting the crater down the middle. Slowed down by helping to keep Ty on his feet, the two so narrowly avoided being squashed that the air force of the impact knocked them both off their feet.

"Owww…" Tyrael groaned as he rolled onto his back as he saw Emmanrutak towering over the two of them. "This is going to be painful…"

* * *

"Ass…" Blackfire grumbled leaning her back against the wall she had been supporting herself with. She was panting softly while she cradled her limp arm carefully as throbbing pain still sapped her strength. Starfire's starbolts were nowhere near as painful as this and she wished she could just slip into unconsciousness just so it would stop. Blackfire knew the next few seconds would hurt like all holy hell. Grabbing her wrist, Blackfire pulled as hard as she could on her arm, driving her shoulder right back into its socket with another loud pop followed by a stifled scream. "Now there's a pain that I can go without ever again…"

"You shall suffer for that," Kronos spoke up as he pulled himself out of the hole in the wall he had left behind. Blackfire ignored the lingering pain still in her arm as she charged a fresh starbolt. The starbolt flew through the air and knocked to the side by Kronos, as he started walking towards Blackfire. The ease at which he deflected the attack worried Blackfire so she began firing additional bolts. Each one was knocked aside like a tossed tennis ball as he closed in at his leisurely pace. When he began getting too close for comfort, Blackfire started edging backwards and continuing to fire her starbolts. Ten feet turned into seven feet, which turned into five feet, which turned into arm's length. Concern turned into panic as she took to the air to try and get away but Kronos grabbed her by the ankle. One sharp jerk was all it took to ground Blackfire once more, flattening her into the concrete before slamming her into the brick wall that had once supported her.

"Varblark!" Blackfire cursed as she fired her eyebeams into Kronos' chest, knocking him off of her. Blackfire started peppering Kronos' position with a flurry of starbolts, putting what energy what she had left in one desperate attack. Almost a half-minute of constant starbolts, though the amount of smoke and dust it kicked up made verifying any hits impossible.

Nonetheless, Blackfire breathed a sigh of relief as the smoke began to settle, only to reveal an energy blast hurtling towards her. The blast knocked her through the brick wall and several layers of drywalls after that. Blackfire eventually came to a rest in a pile of books after shattering an old wooden bookcase into splinters, one of which she could feel lodged in her upper shoulder…unfortunately the good shoulder too. Several more curses were muttered under her breath as she pulled the piece of wood out of her shoulder. When the light in the room went from dimly lit to a dull red, she realized that something was coming. Blackfire dove to the side as a fireball impacted where she was standing moments ago. The fire ignited the books and quickly spread through the bookshelf and the drywall. Blackfire knew her sister was still out there and likely still semi-conscious from Kronos' previous attacks – she couldn't loiter about. She had to engage.

Charging back out of the building and onto the street, Blackfire found only a crater with her sister still barely conscious in it. "Where is he?" she grumbled as she began scanning her surroundings but it was nothing but an empty street. Blackfire didn't know what to do at this point. Her concern was with her sister but she knew she had a mission to accomplish. Eventually, Blackfire made her decision and hurried to her sister's side, pulling her out of the crater and dragging her to the side of the road.

"Come on sis, wake up already," Blackfire whispered, patting her sister on the cheek, trying to get her to come to.

Alas, her sense of security was grossly misplaced as Kronos was watching the pair from a distance. He extended two fingers towards Blackfire and a small bolt of energy fired from his fingertips. The beam of energy pierced through the air and punctured right through Blackfire's lower leg, sending a pain flaring through her entire body. She let out a scream before falling onto her back, clutching at the bleeding hole through her leg. Danger was afoot and Blackfire tried to get onto her good leg as quickly as possible. Her eyes scanned the area and she found her target, now standing confidently once more down the road. Fear was coursing through her body again as she watched him fire another blast. This shot pierced through the thigh of her good leg, crippling Blackfire. She groaned in agony - her dislocated shoulder was by far more pleasant than the pain of being shot through both legs. A trail of blood was smeared along the concrete as she tried to drag herself to safety. A third shot was fired, this time cutting through her shoulder and immobilizing Blackfire.

"Valbernelk…" she growled, propping herself up with her good arm.

"Insolent child," Kronos remarked, standing over Blackfire and pressing his foot down onto the wound on her thigh, paralyzing Blackfire with pain.

Down the road, Starfire was beginning to regain consciousness. Her vision was still a bit blurry but she could see Kronos overtop of her sister. Kronos grabbed Blackfire by the neck and hoisted her off the ground while Starfire struggled to get enough strength to get back to her feet, but found herself drained.

"Farewell Blackfire," Kronos said, staring Blackfire in the eyes as he formed his energy sword in his free hand. Both Starfire and Blackfire's eyes widened as they watched the events unfold like two trains colliding in slow-motion – absolutely nothing they could do could stop it.

"Blackfire!" she shouted out as she watched the blue energy blade pierce through her sister's body, causing her sister to tense up before falling limp in Kronos' grip. Kronos threw the limp body of the Tamaranean towards Starfire, landing only feet from Starfire. "Sister!" Starfire dragged herself over to her sister's side and propped her sister up slightly in her arms.

"K…Kori…" Blackfire groaned softly as she kept one hand covering the hole through her chest located just below her sternum.

"Don't talk…" Starfire whispered softly.

"I…I'm sorry…" she said, her voice weakening before her eyes drifted shut and her body went still.

"No. No…NOOOOOOO!"


	21. Chapter 21: Bloodlust

**Chapter Twenty-one: Bloodlust**

**A rumbling explosion rippled through the entire palace, causing the bedroom to shake.** Several red, green, or white flashes came in through the open doorway to the balcony followed by another rumble that radiated through the walls of the palace. Curled up in a tight ball with her back pressed up against a pillar was a nine-year-old Starfire, scared out of her wits by the recent Gordanian attack. While there had been attacks since her birth, this was the first time she had actually been caught in the middle of an attack. Starfire had never had the opportunity to be eased into actually combat; thus far, her training has only been with her sister and fellow students. An invasion was too much too quickly for her to mentally deal with. She could already hear them pounding on her bedchamber doors, trying to break through the mountain of furniture she had used to barricade it.

Starfire's breathing was deep and erratic as she the crashing grew louder with impact. She wanted her K'Norfka badly but she knew that he would be so busy trying to repel the invaders in other parts of the palace he wouldn't be able to reach her in time. Another crash came from her door and the nervous Starfire glanced around from her hiding spot to see several of the pieces of the barricade scatted across the floor. At that rate, Starfire figured she had only a few moments left before the Gordanians broke through and either killed her or took her captive as a slave – neither of which were very pleasant options. Starfire was desperately trying to calm herself down so that she could at least try to put up a fight against the Gordanians. If she were going down, she would at least go down like a Tamaranean.

However, when the door finally gave way and collapsed upon the pieces of furniture like a lead weight, what confidence Starfire had managed to muster was smashed to pieces like the former barricade. Her whole body tensed as she saw four armed and menacing Gordanians enter the bedroom. Unfortunately, the young Starfire wasn't fast enough taking cover as one of them spotted the child. Curling into an even tighter ball, she tried to remain as silent and possible and prayed to X'Hal for a miracle.

While it was not the miracle she was looking for, when a loud and familiar battle cry followed by a Gordanian smashing through the bedroom wall and taking down the lead Gordanian, Starfire wasn't going to complain. She looked to see what had just happened and saw her older sister, wearing the same armor-less Tamaranean wardrobe as her sister, flying in through the Gordanian-sized hole through the wall and carrying the Gordanian's spear.

"Koriand'r! Get over here!" Her sister ordered, to which Starfire quickly flew to her sister's side. "Go inside and take cover and don't come out until I say it's clear." Starfire wasn't going to argue with her sister and she went into the adjacent bedroom and hide behind the bed. She heard the battle cry of her sister once more, followed by the sounds of an intense battle. Each clang of metal on metal made Starfire cringe and each sound of a starbolt lifted her spirits. It was the longest two minutes of Starfire's life but soon everything was silent in the adjacent room.

"Zordmorking chlorbags!" Blackfire's cursing reassured Starfire that the battle had ended in their favor. Despite her sister specific instructions to wait for an 'all clear', Starfire raced back to the sister's side. Not everything as all right though, which was apparent when Starfire arrived and found her sister collapsed upon her knees, using a broken spear for support, and cradling her stomach with her free hand.

"Sister!" Starfire called out as she rushed to her sister's aid.

"What'd I say about staying in that room Koriand'r?"

"You're hurt!" A large slash went along and up Blackfire's side. It was bleeding, but not profusely.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," she groaned in response while her sister tried to help by applying some pressure to Blackfire's injury. "Man that hurt…"

"What…what are we going to do?"

"You are going to re-barricade that door, use your starbolt beam to weld the door to the frame, and then we'll wait for help to come. Lastly, when this is over I'm going to start wearing armor more often."

"Um…t-thank you for saving me."

"Save your gratitude and get to work," Blackfire muttered bitterly before laying down on the ground with a groan.

* * *

Tamaraneans were thoroughbred warriors. Their entire physiology and society were based around their warrior nature. Starfire was arguably one of the finest examples of a Tamaranean warrior – she could channel any emotion she needed in order to harness her powers in any manner she needed. As Starfire once described her strength came from confidence, flight came from joy, and starbolts came from righteous fury. If starbolts and strength came from fury and confidence it begged the question what came from unbridled rage. Few things have ever pushed Starfire to the level of anger she was feeling right now and it was unlikely that anything ever will again. 

Slowly rising to her feet, Starfire turned to face Kronos with her eyes glowing a bright green and her face contorted in an angry glare. With an enraged battle cry, Starfire took to the air and charged towards Kronos. Her opponent had been waiting patiently for her to make her move, as if so over-whelming confident in his own abilities that he considered anything that Starfire attempted to be trivial at best. It wasn't too far from the truth but Kronos was surprised at the near-insurmountable force that Starfire threw her punch with. He caught her fist and was pushed back several inches by the force, digging into the concrete and kicking up dirt and debris in the process. The reverse situation quickly followed as Kronos tried to punch Starfire, which Starfire caught easily. She acquired a firm footing on the ground as the two warriors found themselves locked in combat, trying to overcome the opponent with raw strength. They grunted and growled as they pushed with all their might against one another but neither appeared to be giving way.

" You will pay for what you have done!" Starfire barked, the level of physical strain and determination evident in her voice.

"But you are already giving it your all and I am only at 75 maximum capacity. The fact you have not joined your sister is that I am humoring you," Kronos taunted.

"That is not what I have been told. From what I have been told, you are afraid to use all of your power for it makes you more vulnerable."

"Napharak may have told you that allocating more of my power destabilizes my energy but if I used all of it, you would be destroyed in seconds."

"You hide behind your boastfulness when in truth you are nothing more than a coward. If you think I have already gone to my limits than you are fooling yourself!" Separated by only inches, Kronos could not stop Starfire when she blasted him with her eyebeams, weakening his fortitude enough for Starfire to overpower him. Starfire pushed him down to one knee and then shifted her footing so she could lift Kronos over and slam him into the ground behind her. Giving him no time to recover, Starfire held on tightly as she started spinning in a circle, making several complete circles before letting go of Kronos and hurling him into an overturned bus, smashing it in half.

"If you are a true warrior you shall fight with all your power!" Starfire baited him on. It was a risky move but Starfire knew if she could get him to use all his power, the 'destabilizing' effect might give her a chance to do some damage.

"I do not need to humble myself before you," Kronos retorted, suddenly taking to the sky and flying high above the city. Starfire wasn't about to let him off and she gave pursuit, taking shots with her starbolts as she closed in on Kronos. They started exchanging fire as they buzzed through the air like flies. Starfire was trying to push in closer while Kronos was continuing to maneuver in order to keep the distance as it was. In a surprising turn of events, with Starfire and Kronos at relatively close ranges, their energy shots impacted and the combined explosion knocked them both back. Starfire hit the side of a tall office building, fortunately not with a lot of force, as she didn't even break the glass pane she hit. Through the cloud of smoke ahead of her, Kronos came flying towards her feet first. Thanks to her quick thinking, Starfire was able to counter it by grabbing Kronos' leg and using his momentum to smash him through the pane of glass next to her. She flew back to put some distance between herself and the building before letting loose a barrage of starbolts through the broken pane of glass. All Starfire did though was blast apart an empty floor as Kronos came bursting through another pane of glass a couple of floors above the one he had originally gone through.

As Kronos charged up another energy shot, Starfire timed and aimed her starbolt so that it impacted against Kronos' energy blast just moments after it left his fingertips. As a result, the explosion this time affected Kronos entirely while leaving Starfire unharmed, giving her ample time to close the gap between them and deliver a solid blow with an uppercut to the jaw. Starfire quickly repositions herself above Kronos before hitting him with a powerful starbolt, sending the armored warrior plummeting towards the earth. Once again, dust and debris were kicked into a smokescreen from the crater he made into the road, leaving Starfire wondering what Kronos' next move was going to be. Eventually, the dust settled and all Starfire saw was an empty crater.

"You want me to fight with all my power?" Kronos' voice perked up from behind Starfire. She spun about and was face-to-face with her armored adversary. "Very well then…I shall show you the true extent of my might." The slits between his plates of armor began to emit a fiery red glow. It was at this point that Starfire was beginning to reconsider the logic of her original plan. Starfire didn't have much time to think though as a telekinetic force sent her flying through the brick siding of an apartment building, followed by a crescent wave of energy that sliced through the length of the building at an oblique angle. Starfire was just regaining her senses when the top of the building began to shift and soon the top half of the building was collapsing onto the road with Starfire trapped inside of it.

Once the dust settled, the top half of the apartment building had been reduced to a pile of rubble spilled across the road, containing Starfire somewhere beneath it all. Starfire had no intention of staying down for very long as a green energy beam pierced through the rubble upwards, clearing the rubble off of her. Starfire was panting hard with one hand wrapped tightly around her abdomen where a few trickles of blood were visible.

"It would seem that you already starting to tire," Kronos taunted, standing at the end of the pile of rubble with his arms folded confidently across his chest. Starfire tried to move but a sharp pain shot through her body, causing her to collapse to one knee. "Giving up already? Even your pathetic excuse of a sister was more determined than you."

"Silence!" Starfire snapped back, her eyes flashing brighter for a moment. "Do not disgrace my sister's name with your slander."

"You mean that idiot girl who should never have gotten involved in the first place? This was none of her concern and yet she foolishly threw her life away in order to protect some weak-minded sister who likes to get in over her head?"

"I said silence!" Starfire shouted as she fired a starbolt in her rage. Kronos casually batted the starbolt to the side as if it were nothing.

"Weak as always. Maybe if you weren't so inept your sister would still be breathing. Heck, maybe she wouldn't have resented you so much if you were able to look after yourself instead of constantly having to be saved by her. Not just weak…but pathetic. Must run in the family."

"That is enough!" Starfire shouted loudly as her hands began to glow once more. "I will not allow you hurt me, my sister's name, or anyone else anymore!" She raised both clenched fists above her head and the two glowing orbs merged to form one large one. "How's this for weak?" The unbridled rage surfaced once more as she unleashed more power than she ever had in a single attack ever before. The beam of energy that launched from his hands expanded rapidly until it was well over two meters in diameter, cutting a path through the rubble and engulfing Kronos in green energy. The beam continued down the read, piercing through the building at the end of the block and continuing through to the other side and disappearing from sight. The sustained blast lasted for a brief but agonizing ten seconds of pure rage and hatred before it finally died down the beam of energy dissipated from sight. It was only then that Starfire saw the extent of damage that she had caused as the beam had left a path through the road that carried on for almost two city blocks.

Starfire exhaled deeply before collapsing to her knees, panting for air, as she felt completely drained after the attack. Lifting her head, Starfire could see Kronos still standing even after all of it, though his hunched over posture told Starfire that her attack had done something, which was all she needed.

Several meters away, Kronos was hunched over slightly and clutching at his chest as if he had been injured there. Starfire could not see a visible break in the armor though but when his hand moved to the side for a moment she could see what appeared to be a crack in the armor. It was small though - only a few inches in length down the center of his chest plate. She had given it her all and she still had only managed to put a scratch in his armor. She couldn't imagine how much force would be needed to actually stop this madman.

* * *

"Scatter!" Tyrael shouted as the four heroes ran in all directions just seconds before Emmanrutak's hammer impacted upon the earth. The quake created by the hit knocked everyone but the airborne Raven off their feet. Raven attempted to counter-attack except her incantations were interrupted when her opponent thrust the shaft of his weapon into Raven, knocking her out of the air. Now it was up to Tyrael to pull the demon's attention away from his vulnerable teammate as he hurled a pair of magic bolts. Cyborg joined in with a well-aimed shot from his sonic cannon hitting Emmanrutak in the face. 

"Jacqueline, get Raven. We need to regroup, this just ain't working!" Cyborg instructed as he and Tyrael continued drawing Emmanrutak's attention with their guns. Jacqueline hurried over to her downed companion and hoisted Raven into a fireman's carry. "Tyrael, you have something that can distract this fellow?"

"I think I have something of use," Tyrael smirked as he holstered his pistols and started a sprint towards Emmanrutak. The spell he had in mind would only be effective at relatively close range and when your opponent's head was over twenty feet above the ground, Tyrael had to get in much closer than usual to make his spell work. Cyborg worked on keeping Emmanrutak from noticing the paladin closing in. A brightly glowing white orb formed in his hand and once he was close enough, Tyrael pitched the orb into the air, which detonated several feet from Emmanrutak's face. The orb of light exploded with a bright flash and an extremely loud bang much like a stun grenade, blinding Emmanrutak and deafening him temporarily. Tyrael figured he'd have a minute or two to take cover and regroup with his comrades. They took shelter behind a large rock formation where the others were already waiting for him.

"That demon guy is a tank. I haven't seen somebody take that many shots with going down in a long time," Cyborg complained.

"Well ze shots to his head seemed to hurt him," Jacqueline pointed out.

"That's an easier said than done thing," Tyrael answered. "Cyborg's sonic cannon doesn't seem to be packing enough punch to take him down."

"Lets not forget that big ol' hammer of his," Cyborg said as he glanced around the corner to check on Emmanrutak. The demon was still staggering about in his blind rage, swinging his hammer aimlessly. "If we're going to beat this guy, we have to get that hammer away from him."

"If you three can keep Emmanrutak busy, I can get that hammer away from him," Raven spoke up, finally coming to after the blow she had received recently. "You'll have to get in close so be careful." Raven straightened her cloak before sinking into her own shadow and disappearing from sight, obviously moving into position to get the drop on Emmanrutak.

"Get in close? Does she normally make such ridiculous requests?" Tyrael remarked, since closing in on the demon put them in good range for being attacked by the hammer. On the other hand, that might just be what Raven was looking for.

"Believe me, we've done worse without even being asked," Cyborg answered as he readied his sonic cannon again. "Once more into the breach."

Unfortunately, the four heroes had spent more time than they should have discussing their next plans as Emmanrutak had already closed in on them. They heard the hefty footsteps closing in but were uncertain if the demon knew their precise location. That question was soon answered when the hammer came crashing down atop of the rock formation the Titans were hiding behind, once again scattering the heroes. The three heroes were forced to run through the dust cloud in order to avoid being destroyed by any follow-up attacks.

"Just start hitting him dammit!" Cyborg shouted as he turned and started firing with his sonic cannon.

"I'm trying – remember when we compared him to a tank?" Tyrael yelled back, diving to the ground to avoid a swing from the Bonecrusher. The enraged demon seemed even more hell-bent on crushing the heroes than before, as the heroes were having more and more difficulty pulling Emmanrutak's attention from his current target, which happened to be Tyrael. The demon was shaking off Cyborg's sonic blasts and Jacqueline's shockwaves as if they didn't exist. The demon took another swing at Tyrael while he was on the ground, dragging the hammerhead through the earth before striking Tyrael into the air. Fortunately for him, by dragging the hammerhead through the rocky terrain, the velocity of the weapon was significantly lowered and thus Tyrael was saved from a full-force hit. The impact on the ground was still downright painful for him though, temporarily taking Tyrael out of the fight.

"Come on Raven, where are you?" Cyborg muttered to himself, aiming for Emmanrutak's head and scoring a hit with his cannon. The demon turned his attention onto Cyborg now, sending a shockwave in his direction. As Cyborg once again strafed to the side to avoid the shockwave, he realized a new change in attack plan was going to be needed. Remembering Raven's instructions, Cyborg charged the demon, firing his cannon just to ensure that Emmanrutak was paying attention to him. Getting in close, the demon lord raised his hammer high into the air like always. When it reached its peak though, Raven made her move and focus her magic on the head of the hammer and pulling with all her strength. Having caught Emmanrutak by surprise, he quickly lost grip of his hammer and it was pulled further away from him.

"Cyborg!" Jacqueline shouted as she came charging in with Tyrael's hammer in hand. He smirked as he realized her plan. He squatted down and linked his hands together in preparation for Jacqueline. The moment her leather boot got a firm footing in his hands, he pushed her upwards with enough force to hurl Jacqueline well over twenty feet into the air. She hung in the air for a brief moment, hammer raised high above her, before gravity pulled her back towards Emmanrutak. With her power combined with the technology with the sledgehammer's head, the contact produced so much force when it made contact with his forehead that Emmanrutak was drive face first into the ground. The earth was shaken as the mighty beast was felled by the attack, kicking up a large cloud of red dust.

"Boo-yah!" Cyborg cheered after he caught Jacqueline in his arms. The might Emmanrutak lay motionless on the ground, his rolled back in defeat. The great demon lord had been vanquished once and for all.

"You two get Tyrael while I prepare the spell. Once the spell is cast we'll only have a few moments to get out before the dimension collapses in on itself," Raven instructed as she landed with her two comrades. "Cyborg - how long has it been?"

"About thirty-two minutes…I just hope the others are doing alright…"


	22. Chapter 22: Past, Present, and Future

**Chapter Twenty-two: Past, Present, and Future**

**She couldn't take much more of this. **Starfire coughed up another mouthful of blood onto the broken cement as she barely kept herself standing by leaning up against the overturned car beside her. She had long since lost track of time but for the past while this had no longer been a fight between Kronos and Starfire but a joke. Kronos had been taking his sweet time with Starfire and she knew it. He could've annihilated her in an instant and yet he continued to beat her with his bare gauntlets. It hurt to breath, which meant there were probably a few broken ribs along with a grocery list of other injuries she had sustained in the past two minutes alone.

"I'm surprised you're still standing young one. Most people would've given up by now but here you still stand…even though you know that by doing so you are only subjecting yourself to more suffering. You could have it quick and easy like your sister but instead you chose the hard way out. I suppose this has gone on long enough though. I am a busy man and if I let you stall me any further, things might actually become bothersome. Any last words?"

"Just one…" she growled as her hands tightened on the frame of the car. "Bastard!" With a last ditch surge of strength, she hoisted the car off the ground and swung it at Kronos. However, at this point even her super strength had been greatly reduced and Kronos didn't even flinch as he lifted his hand and stopped the car as easily as he would a thrown ball. The armored warrior merely shook his head before pulling the car away from Starfire and striking her firmly with the front end of it, all with one hand no less.

"I know you must think of me as some sort of lunatic and while I do not take any pleasure in this, I do take some comfort in knowing that future generations will be thankful for what I have done," Kronos commented as he tossed the car over his shoulder. Starfire could barely focus her vision, let alone her thoughts, as she lay helpless on the ground. Kronos' silhouette was just barely discernable to her as he loomed over her with one glowing fist. "Your fight is over child…" Just before he could raise his hand to attack, his entire body suddenly tensed and froze for an instant. The golden glow that emitted from his armor began to die, dimming back to nothing before he suddenly doubled over in pain.

"What? No!" he shouted in agony as bolts of energy began discharging from his body, striking the surrounding and thankfully missing Starfire altogether. He staggered away from Starfire as the bolts of energy continued for several more seconds before finally dying just like the glow from his armor had moments ago. "I…impressive. They actually closed one of the dimensions…" he grunted, the pained tone in his voice gone as well. "Wait, that would mean-" Kronos looked up just as a sonic cannon blast interrupted his sentence and toppled over the armored fighter.

"Cyborg!" Starfire managed to exclaim weakly at the sight of her four comrades standing just a few meters away.

"Tyrael, get Starfire out of here!" Cyborg instructed before the heroes leapt into battle. Tyrael, still not fully recovered from the fight with Emmanrutak, welcomed the opportunity to avoid combat at the moment and hurried to his fallen friend. While Kronos was too busy now fighting Cyborg, Raven, and Jacqueline, Tyrael scooped Starfire up in his arms and sprints off down the road. He figured a few blocks of distance would be safe enough to drop Starfire off.

"I see you have defeated one of the demon lords. Impressive, though do you have the strength left to fight me?" Kronos taunted as he welcomed the opportunity for a fresh set of combatants. Cyborg came jumping into the battle, driving his fist straight into the road as Kronos hopped back to avoid the attack. Cyborg didn't let up as he rushed in with his fists a-swinging. Even with one dimension closed, Kronos was still well above 50 his maximum power and was having little trouble stopping Cyborg's attacks. After blocking a trio of punches, Kronos grabbed Cyborg by the wrist, wrenched it in a very painful manner and then pitched him straight into a nearby building.

"Remember me?" Jacqueline shouted as swung downwards with her guitar, trying to catch Kronos by surprise but no success. He spun around at the last second and blocked her blow with his forearms. He pushed hard against her guitar, breaking her defenses for a moment as she staggered back and leaving a clear opening for Kronos' follow-up energy bolt. The young Francophone was launched several meters clear to the other side of the road before landing hard against a mailbox.

There would be no rest for Kronos as now Raven tried her luck in attacking him. She used her magic and threw several pieces of concrete and road into his exposed back. The first two shattered almost harmlessly against her armor and the final piece missed altogether as he teleported out of the way and reappeared right behind Raven. A quick, strong blow from his forearm was enough to send Raven into the sidewalk. She recovered fairly quickly from the blow, rolling to the side in time to dodge Kronos' energy sword from plunging through her. Hopping back to her feet, Raven found herself in a close-quarters fight with Kronos as he wielded his energy sword. He began pushing Raven back with a series of slashes and thrusts of his sword, each of which Raven just barely managed to block with her magic. She knew it was only a matter of time until she missed something – and that something was actually a shoulder check and not a sword. Only because there was a wall about two feet behind her did Raven manage to stay on her feet despite having a three-hundred-plus pound armored warrior throw his shoulder into her.

Kronos' free hand immediately shot out and grabbed Raven by the throat, pinning her against the wall as the glowing red lights of his eyes gazed into her eyes. "So you are the one that talked Napharak into betraying me," Kronos' remarked in his dark, shadowy voice. "That fool is throwing his life away for this…child? The only thing more foolish than a human is a demon."

"Don't you talk about him like that," Raven remarked as her eyes began to glow white. It was then that her telepathic abilities accidentally triggered despite a lack of a direct command to. For the briefest of moments, Raven saw into the mind of the twisted madman. All she saw were faces, locations, and brief snippets of events with only a couple having any semblance of coherency.

* * *

"Almost…open."

"Door weighs a ton. Couldn't we just use a charge?"

"Every patrol in the sector would be on top of us in an instant Kronos. Do you want that?"

"Point noted Drugan."

The large pair of metal doors slowly grinded against their rusted and corroded frames as they were forced open by the pair on the other side of it. With a lot of grunting and groaning, the two doors were finally forced open enough for them to squeeze through the opening. The first person through the opening was none other than Kronos with a large metal case slung over one shoulder and a carrying case in his free hand. Shortly after him came the second member of the group, Drugan, who was wearing armor very similar to Kronos' except it was far more worn down and battered in comparison and he, too, was carrying several cases on him.

"This place looks like it could use a few rounds with a maintenance drone," Kronos commented as the pair surveyed the room they just entered. It was, without a doubt, a library of some sort with old, dusty or broken tables surrounded by rows and rows of shelves that housed thousands of a data files and ancient books. There were barely any lights in the room save for the moonlight that snuck its way in through the old skylight in the center of the room. The pair headed to the center table and set their things down before taking a second look around the room. "I'm amazed this place managed to survive the bombing runs."

"Zarcon saw very little large-scale combat during most of the wars, mostly just infantry fighting that left most of the buildings only moderately damaged. Thankfully this building was far enough out of town to avoid getting caught in the bombing runs twenty years ago," Drugan answered before reaching up and pulling his helmet off, revealing the grizzled face of an old man – deep wrinkles covering his face, thinning gray hair, and a large amount of gray stubble across his face.

"You really think we can find an answer in here?" Kronos replied, following suit and removing his helmet as well. Beneath the helmet was the face of a younger man. Much like Drugan, he looked as though he hadn't had many opportunities to properly take care of his appearance as his hair was dark brown hair had been flattened by his helmet and there was a borderline-beard upon his face now.

"If anything can tell us what started this damn mess, it'd be in here. Besides, it's one of the only libraries archiving Earth's history still standing thanks to the bombing runs. Sometimes I think they're catching onto our plans."

"Let the scanning begin then," Kronos chuckled softly as he picked up his book-sized datapad and started down the closest aisle, browsing through the archives of old books and data capsules in an attempt to find the sections with history.

* * *

"What's that smell Drugan?"

"It's dinner – might not be a sirloin steak with a side salad but it'll keep the engine running."

"Is it really time for dinner?" Kronos ran a hand through his hair as he sat down at the central table. He set his datapad down on the table next to him as he watched Drugan tending to a small cooking pot.

"It's seven o'clock, you've been in those aisles for a while now."

"I went in at six-thirty though."

"It's Tuesday," Drugan smirked before they both chuckled lightly to themselves. Drugan was about to pick up the pot when they both froze on the spot at the feint sound of engines. They both looked to one another as the sound grew louder and two spotlights pierced through the skylight. "Pegasus class…" For a second, they were hoping that their presence would go unnoticed but then they remembered how capable the Pegasus-class were at tracking down targets. They both sprung to action, grabbing their helmets and what equipment they could and ran as fast as they could from the table. Seconds later, the skylight shattered as two humanoid robots broke through the ceiling and shattered the table upon impact. The two robots were identical in design with a black metallic exterior, very rounded and streamline in design with a streamline-shaped head that possessed five red optical lenses set up in a v-shape. Two large disc-shaped engines were located upon their backs and small rocket pods upon each shoulder. Each one held a large cannon in their hands, which were trained upon Kronos and Drugan.

"Run!" Drugan shouted as the pair bolted for the exit. The two machines began firing their weapons, sending a rapid barrage of blue energy bolts at the pair of armored figures. The bookcases were shattered into pieces as the gunfire tore apart the interior of the library with Kronos occasionally returning fire by hurling a bolt of energy back at the machines. The robots, however, were protected an energy shield that halted all his attacks. There was a fair amount of open space between them and the exit of the library but they had no choice but to make a break for it. Drugan tossed out a number of small energy bolts that detonated into the ground, creating a small smoke field that helped protect them as they headed for the door. The smoke screen didn't do much to interfere with their opponents though as they fired a salvo of rockets towards the entrance.

"Son of a-" Kronos half-cursed as the explosion launched him and his comrade through the open door. Even though their ears were still ringing from the explosions, the two scampered back to their feet and fled from the library. Outside, a pair of motorcycle-like vehicles was hidden amongst some old foliage waiting for their riders. They wasted no time in mounting their vehicles and activating them. Each vehicle had the same style as a motorcycle except that instead of wheels there were four small exhaust ports at the front and back. A blue light emitted from each port as the two vehicles rose a few feet off the ground and flew down the dirt path away from the old library. The two robots came barging out of the library in time to see the pair escaping on their vehicles. The engines on their backs revved up and soon the two robots were zipping across the landscape in pursuit.

Kronos and Drugan led their pursuers through the ruins of Zarcon. The roads were decorated with the burnt out wrecks of old cars and trucks and flanked by the bombed out remains of various buildings. Gunfire from the pursuers peppered the roads and buildings as the two vehicles weaved about obstacles on the road.

"Kronos, I'm getting feedback problems from the main fuel cells."

"Reconfigure the converters and ease up on the throttle."

"I ease up and those things will be on top of me in an instant."

"You don't ease up and you'll blow your plasma transformers."

Gradually, Drugan's machine began to fall behind Kronos', losing speed until two of the engine ports began to smoke and sputter. Just as Drugan had said, the two machines were right on top of him, firing a salvo of rockets at his vehicle. He managed to swerve clear past the first two, but the third struck close and the concussive blast rolled the vehicle over.

"Drugan! Hold on I'll-"

"Forget about me. You turn back and they'll get you too. I'll buy you some time."

"Dammit Drugan, you won't last five seconds against them!"

"You're our last hope Kronos. So long as you succeed, nothing that happened here matters."

* * *

The great thing about peering into a person's mind was that one could see and experience a huge wealth of memories while only a few seconds pass in the real world. Raven had been in a trance-like state for only a brief instant as the information flooded through her mind, leaving her more confused than before. Her eyes widened and the glow disappeared as she snapped back to reality while Kronos merely chuckled coyly.

"What…was that?" Raven finally managed to utter.

"A glimpse into the darkness that bore me," Kronos retorted as bolts of electricity began running over the surface of his armor. Raven braced herself as the electricity moved from Kronos into her. Her body tensed as the electricity ran through her body before the current ceased and she slipped into unconsciousness. After Kronos dropped her, he took a swing at the building she had been up against, knocking out a large chunk of the wall. The resultant damage compromised the stability of the building, causing it to slowly collapse on top of Raven.

In the mean time, Cyborg and Jacqueline regrouped to mount a new offensive. The three fighters squared off in the center of the broken road, remaining silent as each member contemplated their next move. Jacqueline and Cyborg were taking cover behind an overturned car, periodically checking on Kronos. With the situation more volatile now, Kronos had to start dealing with the Titans more aggressively but at the moment, he needed time to contemplate as well.

"Come on, what's taking the others?" Cyborg muttered under his breath.

"Zey'll make it. We just have to keep him busy."

"Did you see any sign of Blackfire?"

"Afraid I was too busy being tossed into a wall to notice."

"I can take hits better than you Jacqueline. I'll cover your advance and then you keep him busy while I move in. Once I'm in, you can pull back and only move in when I start to falter. We need to buy time." The plan was risky and involved Cyborg serving as a punching bag for most of the fight. He just hoped he could take whatever Kronos dished out, especially after seeing the condition that Kronos had left Starfire in.

"Zat's insane but I guess we have no choice," Jacqueline sighed as tightened her grip on her guitar. "I have a better idea zough. Do you have an explosive or grenade of some sort?"

"A salvo of rockets."

"Give me one." Cyborg had a feeling what Jacqueline was planning and he opened one of the rocket pods on his shoulder and unloaded the round. He opened up a small panel on the side of the rocket and tinkered with some of the circuitry before handing it over to Jacqueline.

"Careful, I rigged it so it would detonate on impact," Cyborg explained.

"Just get ready to move in," Jacqueline as cradled the explosive carefully. Moving out from behind cover, she charged the explosive before throwing it as hard as she could at Kronos. Oddly enough, he had been waiting for them the entire time and didn't move until the last second when he disappeared. "Teleported!" The super-charged rocket exploded with tremendous force. Jacqueline had to be careful not to charge too much as the explosion radius was almost as long as her throwing range. She felt the heat and concussive force of the rocket slam her into the overturned car behind her. Though smoke and debris now decorated the air, Jacqueline knew that wherever Kronos reappeared it was going to hurt. That was the last train of thought as she felt a searing sharp through her entire stomach. Her eyes drifted down to see a blue energy blade piercing through her lower abdomen. There was a twisted sense of a relief as the blade was pulled out of her and she was left to collapse to the asphalt.

"Jacqueline!" Cyborg shouted when he saw Kronos standing overtop his fallen comrade. Shouting angrily, Cyborg charged at Kronos and threw his entire weight into a shoulder check. It knocked the metal soldier off his feet and to the other side of the road. His shoulder pods opened up and the remaining rockets he had bombarded Kronos' position. His thoughts weren't on Kronos though as he dropped to Jacqueline's side. "Jacq! Can you hear me?"

"Hearing's just fine. If you haven't noticed, it's my gut zat got stabbed, not my ear," Jacqueline retorted, groaning through the pain as her hand was firmly pressed over her wound. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine..."

"Can you stand?"

"Probably…just give me my guitar, would ya?"

"Get out of here Jacqueline, I'll handle Kronos," Cyborg instructed as he handed Jacqueline her guitar. She simply smiled and nodded – she knew she would only be a distraction for Cyborg. Though he would've preferred to stay with Jacqueline for a little while longer, a sudden psychic force knocked Cyborg off his feet started the battle up again.

Cyborg grumbled under his breath as he pulled himself together off the sidewalk. Kronos came charging up to Cyborg and hitting him with a bolt of electricity at close range. Cyborg's circuitry didn't enjoy having the extra current running through it and he knew a few more hits like that would start shorting out his systems. After staggering back to his feet, Cyborg had barely recovered from the electricity when Kronos' struck again with a stiff shoulder check. The impact knocked Cyborg through yet another wall, though this time Kronos followed him inside. Fortunately, the cubicle walls and wooden desks had softened Cyborg's landing so he was able to recover quickly from the landing before Kronos arrived. He took cover, hiding behind some cubicle walls and hoping he could ambush his opponent. Glancing around the corner, he could see Kronos down the aisle, searching the area around the broken desks that Cyborg had landed on earlier.

When Kronos turned his back to Cyborg, he saw his opportunity and fired his sonic cannon. The beam of energy didn't find its mark, though in a most peculiar way. What should've been a hit turned into the beam passing through Kronos as if he didn't exist. When the figure of Kronos faded immediately after the beam passed through Cyborg realized that what he had shot at was not Kronos. The next thing Cyborg knew, a flash of light passed inches from his face and he was suddenly left-handed. His sonic cannon and most of his right arm lay on the ground and Kronos stood just off to his side with his energy sword in hand.

"My arm!" Cyborg shouted in disbelief. A twirling flash of blue light again and Cyborg's other arm was on the ground. "My other arm!" The blade sliced downwards, leaving a lengthy slash through his frontal armor and severing a number of vital connections. He fell to the ground just barely managing to remain functioning.

Kronos stood over him with an open palm facing him – charging an orb of energy. "Good-night Mr. Cyborg…"


	23. Chapter 23: Ashes to Ashes

**Chapter Twenty-three: Ashes to Ashes**

**Defenseless and badly damaged, Cyborg could stare up at the glowing orb in Kronos hand and wait for the inevitable. **He didn't even have arms to shield himself with at this point. Over the crackling energy of the charging orb, neither of them had heard the footsteps of the new arrival to the fight. Finally finished with delivering Starfire to a safer location, Tyrael had now returned to join the battle and he was looking to do some damage. Cyborg saw Tyrael rushing in from behind Kronos out of the corner of his eye and while it was tempting to smirk at the inevitable pain Kronos was in for, Cyborg held his vigil. Kronos only finally realized the new presence when it was too late for him to do anything except to turn about and see the sledgehammer swinging towards him. The impact caused a surge of electrical bolts to fly in all directions from Kronos as he was sent flying several feet back into a wall with an audible grunt.

"Sorry I'm late Cyborg," Tyrael apologized as he positioned himself before his wounded comrade and the enemy.

"I'll be fine, just be careful," Cyborg groaned lightly. They both looked to the hole left behind by Kronos to see him staggering slowly to his feet, clutching at his chest as a few sparse sparks jumped from his armor. "That looked like it hurt…what'd you do to him Ty?"

"According to Starfire, she left a crack in his armor after she went all-out on him. Figured it'd be a good idea to just keep putting pressure on it and see if this nut will crack," Tyrael explained as he readied his hammer again. He wasn't going to wait for Kronos to start pulling some of his fancy magic tricks and he charged at his opponent. A series of firebolts came from Kronos' direction in an attempt to hinder Tyrael's advance but Tyrael's magic shield rose up in time to protect him from harm. Unlike the other Titans, Tyrael had been trained his whole life to take on demons and other magical beings and Kronos couldn't fit any more into that bill right now. Once Tyrael was too close to use magic on, Kronos tried to bring his energy sword back out but as he raised his hand with the blade forming in it Tyrael's struck the hand with his hammer, causing the sword to dissipate. For once, Kronos was being pushed back as a follow-up strike delivered another strong hit to the center of his chest plate – once again causing a shower of a sparks and small lightning bolts. The blows were not only causing a great deal of pain for the armored warrior but they were actually causing some of his energy to escape and weakening him just slightly.

With Kronos on the ground, Tyrael brought his hammer straight down onto the chest plate, causing the entire floor to cave in beneath them and sending both of them into the basement levels. Cyborg sighed lightly to himself, annoyed with the fact that he had to sit and wait for the time being. "Can't believe I fell for a decoy," he grumbled to himself.

"Anybody would've fallen for it so don't beat yourself over it." The voice caught Cyborg by surprise and when he turned to look he saw Raven standing overtop of him. Despite having a small building collapsed upon her, she seemed to be in fairly good condition sporting only a large number of cuts, scrapes, and bruises over her entire body and a large portion of her cloak had been torn off. "Need a hand?"

"Could use a couple," Cyborg answered with a slight smirk.

"Can you stand?"

"Just barely," he answered as Raven helped him to his feet. She gathered up Cyborg's lost limbs and the two made their way back outside of the building. "Just set me down over there. Maybe I'll be lucky and I can fix some of this damage before the fights over." Raven carefully set her friend down against the side of a building and gave him his arms so he could try to start repairing himself. Glancing back over to the building they came from, Raven saw a series of explosions rip through the infrastructure of the tall office complex. The explosions didn't look like the kind that Tyrael could make, which only further worried Raven about her comrade's safety. Cyborg was going to safe where he was so it was time to join the battle again.

About halfway back to the entrance of the building, another explosion rang out and a body came flying through the door towards her. Reacting quickly, Raven raised a shield in time to halt the person. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was Tyrael that slammed into her shield, causing him a lot more pain than usual. "Sorry about that."

"S'alright," Tyrael groaned as he got back to his feet. Though they couldn't find Kronos himself, they knew he was close by since a large slab of concrete was hurled towards the pair. Tyrael stepped in front of Raven and swung his hammer at the incoming projectile. The concrete was no match for his hammer as it shattered into pebbles under its tremendous force. The concrete, however, was just a distraction to get Tyrael to swing his hammer though. With less control over the weapon, a telekinetic force took hold of the hammer's head and forced the hammer to swing the opposite direction. It took Tyrael by surprise when his weapon moved against his will and Raven was even more surprised since it swung straight into her and sent her crashing into a nearby lamppost. Tyrael gripped his hammer more firmly as he tried to regain control over it but the telekinetic force took more control of the hammer and it wrestled free from his grip before twirling quickly twirling about to nail Tyrael in the gut. Being knocked over by his own hammer was not something that Tyrael had ever expected in his illustrious career. Most of the air had been knocked out of him and as he was regaining his composure, he saw his hammer rising up in preparation to come crashing down atop of him. With little time and even fewer options available, Tyrael drew both pistols out and fired. The head of the hammer exploded in a dozen pieces just moments before it would've made contact, peppering the paladin in shrapnel.

"Bloody hell…" he sighed lightly. He had just destroyed his primary weapon…not exactly a good turn of events for him. Kronos finally came back into sight, materializing overtop of Tyrael. A metal gauntlet reached down and grabbed Tyrael by his ankle before Kronos dragged the paladin across the ground a few feet and then hurled him towards the wall that had just recently been impacted by Raven.

Raven focused her magic onto the brick wall behind her, engulfing the entire wall with her power. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Piece by piece, the brick wall was taken apart and each was fired at Kronos in a hailstorm of clay and concrete. The bricks weren't causing much harm to her opponent but they were distracting Kronos long enough for Tyrael to charge up a powerful holy-energy bolt and fire it square into his chest. Shortly after Kronos landed several meters down the road, Raven began moving a whole section of the road, uprooting the asphalt from its foundation and flipping it over to sandwich Kronos between it and the ground.

"Padros Spiri Sancti!" Tyrael raised a clenched fist into the air, which began to emit a white glow before crackling with blessed energies. A pillar of light broke through the overcast, shining down upon the overturned piece of road. His palm opened and then his hand swung downwards as an intense white pulse traveled quickly down the pillar of light. The pulse of energy impacted with the earth with the fury of the heavens, creating an immense explosion that bathed the entire city block in a near-blinding light and a thick cloud of smoke.

"How long had you been keeping that spell up your sleeve?"

"Would've used it sooner but the he wouldn't keep still long for it to work," Tyrael answered, panting softly now. "Do you think that worked?"

"I doubt it. We need something with more precision than what we've been throwing at him," Raven explained. "That metal suit of his is more than just armor, it's-" Raven's sentence was cut off when something came piercing through the clouds of smoke. It was a chunk of the very road that she had originally torn up. Raven tried to raise a shield in time but it had been hurled with such force that it broke through the forming shield and square into her chest. Tyrael lost sight of her when she disappeared into the still lingering smoke.

"Raven!" Tyrael stood shocked from the sudden attack and was expecting similar to be coming for him. As he turned back in the direction that the rock came from, a bright red light became visible through the smokescreen. It grew larger at an alarming rate and when it finally became discernable, it was too late for Tyrael to move out of the way of the fast-approaching Kronos, who was coated in a layer of flames.

* * *

"Dammit! What does it take to beat this thing?" Robin cursed as he hurled another trio of discs at the Yerwn champion, all of which exploded almost harmlessly upon her thick hide. It was getting to the point that it was barely even distracting the demon as it continued its attempt to incinerate the Balor, Napharak. The two demons were deadlocked as Rifstrae's fire was impeded by Napharak's magic. Though neither was gaining any ground, Napharak had the advantage of allies who would use the opportunity to get additional hits in.

The mighty demon was circling high in the air, using her fire to strike at her enemies below. Terubia was already upon the demon's back, once again trying to carve a path through the dragon's scales. However, after several minutes of constant slashing and biting, Terubia concluded that her claws were going to get worn down to nubs before she got anywhere close to breaking through the armored hide.

"We need to ground her," Robin instructed a pterodactyl Beast Boy, whom he was riding upon through the air. Whipping a flash disc at the demon's eyes, Rifstrae became blinded and disorientated by the bright flash allowing for Robin and Beast Boy to close in on the beast. Terubia then stunned the demon by passing a painful electrical charge through Rifstrae before jumping off the demon's back. Swooping above the stunned Rifstrae, Beast Boy changed from the lightweight pterodactyl into a heavy elephant. Gravity took over from there, landing square on the demon's back and bringing the Yerwn crashing to the earth below. The four warriors quickly regrouped in order to prepare for the next assault upon the former demon lord.

"Foolish little creatures," Rifstrae's malicious voice spoke up as she rose to her feet. "Feel my wrath!" The demon let out a ear-piercing screech causing the sky to begin to light up with bright red lights. Napharak turned his attention skywards and saw the growing red lights in the sky with frustrated sigh.

"Meteors!" Napharak shouted, prompting the heroes to scatter in all directions as storm of fire and brimstone came pouring down upon them. Beast Boy transformed into a falcon and took to the air in order to avoid the raining meteors. Terubia had plenty of agility, cat-like reflexes, and keen senses, which made escaping harm a breeze for her as she jumped about. With more magic than one could shake a stick at, Napharak was teleporting across the landscape and never got within ten feet of a meteor's impact. The only one who was actually scrambling like a mad fool in order to avoid being turned into a very flat and very burnt pancake was Robin. His eyes frantically panned from the sky to the ground as his mind raced to keep a mental map of where he predicts or knows where a meteor will crash. However, as the firestorm grew in intensity it became harder for Robin to keep track of each meteor and in a momentary lapse of concentration, a small meteor impacted only a few feet ahead of him. Robin was showered in embers and pebbles as he was knocked off his feet by the crash. As his eyes fluttered back open, Robin saw an even larger meteor closing towards him.

"Must I do everything myself?" Napharak muttered to himself as he saw his ally's plight. He charged a quick bolt of magic and shot the meteor out of the air just moments before it hit Robin. "Come on kid before you get yourself killed," Napharak added as he hoisted Robin off the ground with one hand and teleported away before another meteor wiped out the earth that they had been standing on. The pair rematerialized a long distance away from Rifstrae and well outside the area being bombarded by the meteors.

"You never mentioned that she could do that," Robin remarked, rubbing her aching head.

"Slipped my mind," Napharak answered nonchalantly.

"Anything else you might've forgotten?"

"Not that I can think of but you have to remember – it's been a very long time since she's used what magic she possesses, so forgive me if I can't recall what spells she knows. There's no spell in her entire arsenal that I can't top."

"So remind me again why you can't beat her with your supposedly immense magical powers?"

"Unfortunately in most cases the only way I would've been able to win would be to annihilate almost everything within a ten mile radius – I'm sure you would object to being reduced to ashes in order to achieve victory."

"Then we'll just have to keep with the usual plan," Robin muttered to himself as he pulled out a handful of explosive discs and started sprinting back to Rifstrae. The meteor shower had ceased and it was safe for the heroes to close in on the demon once more. By the time Robin had gotten in close to do some damage, Terubia and Beast Boy were already engaging the mighty Yerwn. Beast Boy, in the form of a raptor, had his jaws clamped down tightly around Rifstare's arm and just managing to hold on as the arm was shaken firmly in attempts to remove the nuisance. To the demon's rear was Terubia, hurling a series of lightning bolts at the Yerwn's dorsal surface. Regretfully, all she succeeded at was annoying the already enraged demon. Rifstrae's tail slammed hard into the ground next to the Terubia, almost shaking the small demon off her feet, and then with a quick snap of its tail, Terubia was flicked off the ground like an insect. About three bounces and several meters later, Terubia came to a halt upon the earth just barely clinging to consciousness. The dragon-demon redoubled its efforts in shaking off Beast Boy, whipping her arm fast enough to shake the wolf's teeth and send Beast Boy flying through the air.

"Once again it's me to the rescue," Napharak sighed in annoyance as he jumped into the air and intercepted Beast Boy before he had a painful reunion with the ground. "I've now officially saved each one of you. It makes me question why I decided to let you three incompetent beings accompany me on this mission." He wasn't even polite enough to set Beast Boy on the ground, instead just dumping him like a bundle of firewood.

"It's not like you're doing any good!" Beast Boy snapped back.

"Doing better than the rest of you – a weakling nkrath pup, a meager human, and a shape-shifting…green thing. You can barely hurt that thing – what makes you think you could ever win against Kronos?"

"Not everything is about raw power Napharak," Beast Boy retorted, finally getting back to his feet. "Sure we might not have the neat magic tricks that you have, but even without them we're willing to fight as much as needed in order to win. Starfire and Blackfire are fighting Kronos right now, even though he's probably at his strongest and Raven and the others are probably also back fighting Kronos as well. Everybody is willing to go up against impossible odds except you! When trouble came, you just gave up and became a pawn for Kronos."

"I did what I had to do in order to protect my people!"

"No, Robin's doing what has to be done in order to protect people," he answered as he pointed over to Robin, who was going one-on-one with Rifstrae, hurling explosive discs and trying to avoid being incinerated by the fire. "You're just doing what needs to be done to protect your own interests." Despite Beast Boy falling silent for a moment, Napharak said nothing in his defense. "Raven believed you could still be that great hero you once were. If you really are that great hero, you'll stop thinking about your own interests and think about what's good for everyone, not just your people."

Once again silence fell between the two as the battle raged on. "Your friend is in trouble," Napharak casually stated, pointing back to Robin who was caught in Rifstrae's clutches. Beast Boy turned to return to the fight but Napharak grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "For what Raven described as 'a bit of an idiot', you certainly have your moments of wisdom. Stay here, there's something I must ask of you…"

Robin let out a pain but stifled cry as Rifstrae's digits tightened around his body. His right arm was pinned against his body while his other arm couldn't reach any of his weapons and he was reduced to trying to pry the demon's fingers, which obviously required far more strength than he had. "Foolish little mortal," Rifstrae hissed sharply as she stared at the helpless Titan in her hand.

"Put the human down Rifstrae!" Napharak's voice sounded out with tremendous force. The demon lord stood only a few meters away from his foe, both fists clenched tightly at his sides and his staff surprisingly absent. "Your fight is with me. This ends now!"

"Very well Napharak, if you wish to die that badly." Rifstrae dropped Robin to the ground as she turned to face her nemesis. "You know that you can never beat me."

"It's true that I can never be victorious over you but I'm willing to settle for a draw," he answered back calmly as he raised his hands up to shoulder level. A deep red light began to emit from the blackness under his hood, which slowly spread until his whole body was engulfed in the bright aura. The aura turned began to turn into a fiery energy surrounding Napharak, which crackled with terrifying intensity as it grew in magnitude. Then, in a flash, the aura flew away from him towards Rifstrae, carrying an oddly mad-shaped bolt of energy that impacted into the dragon-demon. Her body flashed red for a brief moment as she recoiled back in apparent agony. She clutched at her chest as a red light started to emit from her abdomen. It grew it intensity, slowly spreading over her entire body as she screamed in torment, as her body was being ripped apart molecule by molecule. The light ate away at her form spreading to every inch of her being until there was nothing left of her except whisps of smoke in the breeze.

"What…just happened?" Robin muttered after having witnessed an entire demon be disintegrated before his eyes. He quickly looked over to where Napharak once stood and instead of seeing the mighty and triumphant demon lord, all that was left was a pile of his old robes and armor. Beast Boy came running up to check on his friend, carrying Napharak's staff too. "Beast Boy, what's going on?"

"Napharak…said we'd have to go on without him. I told him he had to stop thinking only of himself…I didn't expect him to actually go this far."

"Napharak was supposed to destroy this dimension and get us back to Jump City, how are we supposed to do that now?"

"He said he charged his staff with all the spells necessary, we just have to tap it on the ground to make it go."

"Go get Terubia and let's get back to the city."

"How are we going to break this to Raven?"

"Just…leave that me, okay?" Robin sighed lightly, mostly to himself. Hopefully, the news wouldn't distract Raven.

* * *

"Tyrael!" Raven called out as her comrade crashed hard into asphalt. He barely managed to pry his face a few inches off the ground before coughing up a mouthful of blood. Raven was still cradling a swollen knee from a very devastating blow dealt to her a while ago. Since that injury, Tyrael had been taken a severe beating at the hands of Kronos. The fight once again was starting to wind down as Kronos dealt with the two heroes. Kronos was several meters away, hoisting a half-wrecked car above his head and marched over to Tyrael.

Mustering up what strength she had left, Raven was able to protect her friend by raising a shield around him just before the car was brought crashing down upon him. The car shattered into pieces upon hitting the shield though the car's bumper was still in Kronos' hand afterwards and he promptly struck Raven with it. Lying partially dazed on the ground, Raven used her magic on a nearby lamppost, causing it to swing into the advancing Kronos. It struck hard in Kronos' vulnerable chest plate, causing him to stagger back. Raven didn't think she hit him with a great deal of force so she was surprised when Kronos fell to one knee and began sparking large amounts of energy. Both Tyrael and Raven flinched as bolts of lightning struck the asphalt and concrete near them, leaving small craters in the road.

"Damned demons…can't trust them to do anything right!" Kronos cursed loudly as he finally road to his feet moments later. He growled maliciously as he loomed over the two injured heroes, though his growl was soon drowned out by the sound of cracking electricity. However, Raven and Tyrael noticed that the electricity wasn't coming from Kronos and so did he. Kronos turned in time to be electrocuted by none other than Terubia. Immediately following the blast of lightning, a trio of explosive discs bombarded Kronos, and then a green rhinoceros collided into him square in the chest creating a shower of sparks and sending Kronos into a old brick building.

"Robin!" Raven smiled in relief upon seeing the last of her friends arriving, though she soon realized that there was only three standing before her. "W…where's Napharak?"

"I'm sorry Raven…" Robin said softly as he hurried over to check on his friend.

"Cursed little humans!" Kronos intruded as the enraged warrior came bursting out from the pile of bricks and concrete.

Robin rose to his feet, unfolding his sword instead of his usual bo staff. "Sorry Kronos, but your time is up!"


	24. Chapter 24: To the End of Time

**Chapter Twenty-four: To the End of Time**

**"I see my former minion is no longer among your ranks - the inevitable fate of those who stand in my path.** I must admit I am surprised you've managed to survive for this long. I was mistaken to have underestimated your powers to such an extent. The old records never made you out to be this powerful."

"What records?" Robin asked as his body tensed in anticipation.

"Why the history archives of course. They might've been more than a thousand years old but they were quite detailed on your exploits."

"Great…another time traveler," Robin muttered to himself.

"If you're thinking of comparing me to that amateur Warp you fought some time ago I'm afraid that's like comparing a torch to a nuclear blast. His understanding of chronology and time travel was miniscule. Unlike in his time, time traveling was well understood by the time I came along. We even have computer simulations that can predict what a change to the past would cause to the rest of the timeline."

"So what do you want with this time period?"

"Why your annihilation young Robin. Well, not just you specifically but you, your friends, those like you, and all of your future descendants as a result of that. I doubt you'd believe me if I told that you and your descendants are responsible for the downfall of the entire human race and arguably most of the life in this galaxy…but I suppose that would be a bit too much to swallow at once."

"You're right, I don't believe you."

"Then there is nothing further to discuss with you," Kronos concluded as he swung both arms outwards, launching a series of energy bolts in a wide line. They all impacted into the ground in front of the three heroes, kicking up a smoke screen to allow Kronos an opportunity to close the gap. He charged straight into the center of the group, targeting Robin first. Forming his energy blade in one hand, Kronos passed through the smoke screen and swung down hard at Robin. Dodging the blade at the last second, Robin struck back swinging his sword at the warrior's head. The tip of the sword missed by mere inches as Kronos backed away from Robin, though he wasn't able to get out of the way of the swift kick that Robin delivered right after. He missed the cracks in the chest plate though and only succeeded in pushing Kronos back a few feet.

Those few feet were good enough for Robin though, as Beast Boy snuck up behind Kronos and, taking the form of a gorilla, grabbed Kronos in a tight bear hug. Beast Boy's tight squeeze put pressure on the damaged chest plates, causing Kronos severe pain as more sparks of energy leapt off his body. With the situation growing more and more severe, Kronos was starting to fight with more fervor and using more energy-consuming spells in the process. Focusing his magic inwards, he granted himself a temporary boost of strength in order to break himself free from Beast Boy's grip and spun around quickly to bring the sole of his boot into Beast Boy's face.

Reforming his energy sword, Kronos was attacked again by Robin. Their blades clashed repeatedly as they lashed out at one another with neither side giving way. Locking blades with Robin, Kronos pushed hard against the Boy Wonder, forcing the Titan's leader to back off for a moment. However, Robin merely served as a distraction as Terubia raced upon behind Robin and jumped off of his shoulders into the air. She tucked into a tight ball as she spun through the air towards Kronos. At the last moment her legs suddenly kicked out and scored a hit square into his chest plate, sending the increasingly weakened warrior flying across the road. Robin knew that they couldn't afford to give Kronos even a moment's rest. Beast Boy was the closest and took it upon himself to charge at Kronos in the best form he could think of for the task – a triceratops. The approaching, thundering footsteps alerted Kronos to the impending danger. He rose quickly to his feet but oddly held his ground against the multi-tonne dinosaur. Grabbing hold of both horns tightly, Kronos staved off Beast Boy's assault as the two plowed through the asphalt. With both feet dug firmly into the asphalt, Kronos exerted his will against Beast Boy and brought the giant dinosaur to a halt in the center of the road. While he should've been, Beast Boy wasn't at all surprised at the amount of raw force Kronos displayed as the two became deadlocked. Shifting his stance, Kronos ceased pushing against Beast Boy and pulled sharply. Beast Boy was lifted off his feet as he spun around Kronos by the horns and released him in the direction of Terubia and Robin.

With no time to get out of the way, Terubia and Robin braced themselves as the green triceratops bounced across the ground right at them. Working together, the two heroes burdened the impact of the giant beast, pushing as hard as they could against him in hopes of bring their friend to a halt. The sturdy concrete wall behind them grew closer and closer as Beast Boy's inertia forced his friends closer to being trapped between the metaphorical rock and a hard place. Gradually, Beast Boy came to a halt with his two friends being squeezed tightly against the wall.

Terubia and Robin both dropped to the ground for a quick breather after Beast Boy reverted back to his human form. "Uh…thanks guys. Sorry about that," he apologized. The trio quickly realized that Kronos was no longer on the streets and caught a glimpse of the villain jumping up to the rooftop of a nearby 20-story building.

"After him!" Robin shouted as the three of them hurried in pursuit. Terubia jumped onto the side of the building and began scaling up the wall while Robin used his grappling hook to quickly reach the rooftop. Kronos was waiting for them at the top, frustrated and determined like never before. His eyes burned an intense crimson and both fists were clenched tightly at his side. More importantly to the heroes though was the prominent crack in the chest plate, which had gradually grown in size from the repeated blows to it – what had originally started as a inch-long crack had now nearly tripled in length and fissured into a second branch.

"You must be getting tired by now young child. We've been fighting non-stop for well over an hour now."

"I've had to endure worse than this Kronos," Robin retorted, taking his usual fighting stance with his sword. "Give it up Kronos, you can't win this. You've not only underestimated our strength but also our resolve. We will not yield to you – ever!"

"But I have already gone through so many of you already. Before you arrived back in Jump City I had already gone through almost a dozen of your friends and allies and now you attack me with eight people accompanying you and you stand with only two at your side. Tell me Robin, how much longer to do you think you can last?"

"And you used to be able to shake off blows like they were nothing, now we've pushed you back onto an old rooftop. How long do you think you can last?"

"Do you know how long a billion years is?"

"I have a general idea."

"Yes well when you've had to wait well over that long, you learn how to endure the worst of hardships. I have not waited this long to be denied at the last moment."

"You have caused nothing but destruction and suffering wherever you have gone. We're not going to let it go on any longer," Terubia said as she scaled over the railing to Kronos' right. From behind and to Kronos' left, Beast Boy dropped down from the sky after having flown to the top. They have Kronos surrounded now, though experience had taught Robin that surrounding Kronos did little to better their position; nonetheless, it was better than anything else they had at the moment. The atmosphere was tense as both sides waited for the right moment to make a move. Neither was totally committed to making the first strike, especially the surrounded Kronos. Terubia was the first one to gather up the courage to strike first, charging toward Kronos with her claws bared. Kronos' reflexes were impeccable though as he intercepted Terubia's attacks. His burly arm wrapped tightly around hers, wrenching it tightly against his side before his free hand delivered a strong palm strike to her chest and finally slammed her to the ground. All of this happened before Robin and Beast Boy could close in the gap to help their comrade. Robin's sword clashed hard but harmlessly against Kronos' armguard and before Robin could pull away, Kronos' elbow was smashed into the side of his head, crumpling the Boy Wonder to the ground in a half-conscious daze.

Terubia hopped back to her feet in time to join Beast Boy in a joint attack on Kronos. Terubia jumped onto Kronos' back, wrapping her arms tightly around his helmet to try and wrench it off, though with little luck. It did, however, distract Kronos as to give time for Beast Boy to take the form of a gorilla and land a solid punch dead center on the chest plate. The blow sent both Kronos and Terubia flying but she was prepared for it. When her back made contact with the ground, kicked her legs out pushed Kronos onwards over her while she landed harmlessly on the ground. Thanks to a few skips and bounces off the ground, Kronos lost enough velocity so he didn't break through the railings along the perimeter of the rooftop. Terubia didn't let up though, getting back to her feet quickly and hurrying over to knock her opponent off the rooftop. Kronos was still struggling back to his feet when he saw Terubia pouncing towards him. In a desperate move, Kronos focuses his telekinesis and halted Terubia in mid-flight just a few feet away from him. He channeled as much force as he could spare and catapulted Terubia off the building.

"Terubia!" Beast Boy shouted in distress as he helplessly watched his companion soar through the sky and pierce through the siding of an all-glass panel office tower – several buildings down the road and about a dozen stories above their current position. Though it wasn't a serious injury, Beast Boy knew they wouldn't be seeing Terubia any time soon. On his own for the moment, Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and charged for Kronos, unfortunately following a similar battle plan as the previous attacker and meeting with an equally debilitating fate. At first things seemed to go in Beast Boy's favor as his force was enough to knock both he and Kronos through the steel railing and over the edge, Kronos was able to escape by springing off of Beast Boy in time to catch he ledge of the building. Beast Boy, unfortunately, fell victim to gravity's relentless grip and plummeted back to the earth. Some quick thinking and quicker change into a bird was enough to safe Beast Boy from a very sudden stop, but he wasn't able to stop his descent in time and only succeeded in slowing himself down enough so that his fatal nose-dive turned into a survivable belly-flop.

In a matter of seconds, Kronos had turned the three-on-one into a more manageable one-on-one as Robin was still regaining his senses after the stunning blow he had received. "It is just you and me now boy," Kronos goaded. "Looks like your unbeatable determination is beginning to wane."

"Don't get headstrong on me now Kronos," Robin managed to retort as he readied his sword once more. Kronos simply chuckled mockingly as he formed his energy blade and squared off with Robin. The two warriors charged each with the intent on finishing this fight with one last strike. With blinding speed and expert precision, the two warriors struck out at each other in all-or-nothing attack for victory. Their moment carried them several feet past one another before they finally stopped and faced each other. They looked to one another for a moment before Robin fell to one knee with a pained groan and blood trickling down his left arm.

"Ready to discuss a surrender now Robin?"

"Nice of you to offer but I don't intend on taking you to jail," Robin smirked as he quickly rose to his feet to strike. He might have only one good arm at the moment, but Robin wasn't out of the game just yet. He struck fast and accurately, forgoing more powerful strikes and just trying to get any semblance of a hit in. However, no matter how fast he struck or how quickly he danced around Kronos in attempts to slip past his defenses, Robin wasn't able to break past that sword of his. Having only one good arm made it difficult to keep a firm grip on his sword and Robin found his grip being twisted off his sword as Kronos spun his blade around with some fancy movements of his wrist. All it took was one good and accurate flick of his wrist and Robin's sword was knocked cleaned out of his hand and off the side of the building.

"It would seem that you are the one that is about to run out of time," Kronos boasted as he forced Robin to the edge of the building with the tip of his blade aimed at Robin's neck.

"You won't get away with this."

"You have no idea what I'm really even getting away with," Kronos chuckled arrogantly. Robin waited for the first sign of an attack from Kronos. Timing would be everything at this point since there was only about an inch and a half of space separating the tip of the blade and his vulnerable, fleshy neck. As Kronos plunged the sword forward, Robin pulled his neck out of the way. The tip of the blue skimmed across his neck leaving behind a crimson trail in its wake. Thankfully, it was only a flesh wound that Robin didn't even notice as he closed in on Kronos and grabbed hold of him. Using Kronos' own momentum, Robin hurled Kronos through the railings and over the edge…though he went through with him.

"Foolish human, you'll only kill yourself!" Kronos cursed as the two struggled in their freefall.

"I'll be happy so long as you go down with me," Robin replied, keeping a firm grip on Kronos. Robin wanted to make sure that if Kronos were going to get out of this, he'd have to save Robin as well.

However, Robin's noble plan didn't work out quite as he had planned but in a good way. Robin felt an extra pair of hands slid under his shoulders and pulled him off away from Kronos. It couldn't have been Beast Boy…

"Starfire!"

"Are you harmed?"

"I'll be fine, just set me down over there." Starfire promptly complied and set her friend on the sidewalk. Overwhelmed to see her friend again, Starfire immediately embraced him in a quick hug. "What about you Starfire? How are you?"

"I…have been better. Our friend Tyrael tended to some of my injuries with his magic," she explained. Most of her cuts and scraps had been healed over and dried blood clung to her face and hair. While she wasn't at her best, she still had plenty of fight left in her.

"It's good to see you're okay. Now let's get back to business," Robin smiled for the first time in a long while. They both looked over the crater in the middle of the road where Kronos had landed. Kronos emerged from the crater with two large firebolts in hand.

"Insolent little children…" Kronos was about to hurl the two bolts when a blue blast of energy struck him to the ground.

"Boo-yah! Guess who's back for round two!" Cyborg shouted in triumph. Kronos didn't even had time to pick himself off the ground when a bus came crashing into him, crushing him between its frame and the side of a building. The bus was under the control of none other than Raven. Moments later, the bus exploded into fragments, as Kronos emerged from the smoking ruins, ready to continue this fight. All five Titans quickly encircled Kronos, ready to make their move if Kronos so much as flinched.

"It's over Kronos. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and from what I can see you're getting weaker by the second," Robin warned as he pulled out a trio of discs. "This madness ends now."

"I can see why the history records held you all with such high regards. No matter what is thrown at you, you always seem to get stronger in order to overcome it. But the stronger you become, the more people will grow to fear you and fear your potential to destroy. How long do you think it'll be before even your own city begins to fear your power? It's human nature to fear when faced with a superior being. Enjoy your time as heroes Titans…it'll only be a matter of time before you'll be caste as villains in the eyes of those you protect."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you already know Robin. Just…keep your eyes open when this is over. Come – let us finish this. Once and for all."

"Sure. No time like the present. Titans, go!"

Starfire and Cyborg began the assault as they bombarded Kronos with a series of energy blasts, stunning the armored warrior and causing the cracks to grow larger. Robin covered his approach by hitting Kronos with a number of his explosive discs before delivering a precision drop kick right into the weakened frontal, further stressing the fissures. Kronos was knocked to the ground, leaving him open for Beast Boy to deliver another solid blow to the chest in the form of a rhinoceros. The armored warrior was sent through the air and landed hard on the opposite side of the Titans, though he only remained on the ground for a moment as Raven grabbed hold of him with her magic powers and slammed him repeatedly into the ground and nearby buildings. Giving no quarter, Cyborg, Robin, Raven, and Starfire unleashed everything they could onto Kronos: starbolts, sonic blasts, chunks of road and concrete, explosive discs…everything they had. The grand finale came from above as a green whale fell from the sky and landed atop of Kronos with an echoing thud.

"I think we finally got him," Robin sighed lightly.

"I don't think so. We may have done a lot of damage but we won't stop him unless we break through that armor of his," Raven answered.

"What do you mean?"  
"That's not just an armor suit…it's-" Once again, Raven wasn't able to finish her sentence when a tremendous explosion sent the green whale back into the sky with Beast Boy landed hard on the road in front of the Titans. They couldn't believe their eyes as they saw Kronos still standing…battered beyond all belief but standing nonetheless. The once shimmering, powerful armor was dented almost at every point with a large fissure down the center chest plate, and covered with scrapes and scratches. His whole body crackled with energy as a red aura surrounded his body. The Titans didn't have any time to react as five red lightning bolts flew out of the aura into each of them. They all retched back in agony, as their nerves were set ablaze with intense pain. Each one collapsed to the ground, drained of almost all their energy and each one barely conscious now.

"I…have given you all ample opportunity to surrender…chances to make this easier on yourselves. I had planned to give you all a quick and painless death…a warrior's death. But instead, you have all stubbornly refused and now…I shall make sure you demise is long and agonizing." Kronos grudgingly approached, drawing his energy sword for one last time. Robin was the only one with enough strength left in him to still move, though even then his arms and legs felt like lead weights. The situation actually, for once, looked hopeless. He looked around him and saw only his downed comrades, cradling their wounded bodies as they cringed in pain.

"I…won't ever give up…" Robin grunted as he managed to push himself up to one knee.

"Silly little human…" Kronos said as he gripped his sword downwards and raised it above his head.

"Robin!" A voice shouted out as something came out of the corner of his eye. Flying in from his right was his sword – it was battered and the handled was bent severely out of shape from the landing, but the blade was intact and that's what mattered. Robin grabbed the bent handle and swung hard to stop Kronos' blade before plunging the sword forward with all the strength that he could. The sound of metal grinding against metal echoed through the air before silence overtook the street.

Kronos stepped back in disbelief, his gaze cast upon Robin's sword, which plunged deeply through the crack in his chest armor. Sparks of energy flew out of the edges around the sword as Kronos fell to one knee in obvious pain. He let out a pained cry as his arms wrapped tightly around his body and the sparks of energy grew in intensity. His entire body began to glow white before he let out a monstrous cry that echoed through the entire city and his body released incredible amount of energy in one last giant explosion. Robin shielded his eyes from the blinding flash and then darkness overtook him.

* * *

"You awake Robin?" Raven's familiar voice echoed in his head as the young Titan finally came to. His eyes groggily opened up at long last, though the bright daylight quickly made him shut them once more. "Come on Robin, get up," Raven encouraged once more as she helped him back to his feet. It took him a few moments before his mind finally snapped back to reality and he remembered everything that had transpired. Quickly looked to where his opponent once stood, all that remained was a pile of armor with a sword plunged through the breastplate. "Is he…actually gone?"

"He's finally gone," Raven nodded slowly.

"What…was he exactly? I mean people just don't vanish into thin air like that. It looks like he was just that suit of armor."

"It wasn't just armor," Raven explained, now free of interruptions. "It was a containment suit."

"Containment?"

"You weren't here when it happened, but I tapped into Kronos' mind for a brief instant. I saw a great deal of things in his mind and while most of it didn't make sense at the time, after listening to him more I was able to piece most of it together."

"So who was he exactly?"

"He wasn't lying about anything. He really was from a time centuries ahead of our own…where he was the last human alive on Earth and probably the last free being in the galaxy. He was a great warrior, scientist, and sorcerer in his time but some enemy had destroyed everything he knew and cared about. In a desperate last attempt, he threw himself on a one-way trip back in time to try and change the past in order to rebuild a new future…but he overshot his destination and he was sent more than five billion years into the past."

"Five…billion years? How could a human survive that?"

"He didn't. In order to last that time…he sacrificed his body and transformed himself in a pure spectral energy being contained within the armor suit."

"Well, that would explain why nothing ever seemed to hurt him."

"In a way, he was doing what he felt was right for his people. He achieved a level of existence that other people could only dream of. He had become, in a sense, almost god-like in power and immortality. He could've simply left the physical planes of this universe and experienced existence unlike any human ever could…but instead he stayed here on Earth and tried to save countless lives."

"You're actually siding with him?"  
"Not a chance. His intentions might have been noble but I think somewhere during that five billion years of waiting, he lost sight of what he was really trying to accomplish. Still…it is a tragedy. He had so much power at his disposal…he had the power and knowledge to change so much of the bad things that happened in history and yet he did nothing with it."

"Things happen for a reason Raven, you can't just go messing with history just because you don't like how something turns out." The two heroes remained silent as they looked to the fallen pieces of armor for a little while longer. "Do you know…what he was trying to prevent to 'save his future'?"

"I don't know. It seemed like a war of some sort but it was too much at once for me to make out clearly. Besides, like you said – can't go messing with history just because you don't like how it turns out."

"Come on Raven, we have to help the others now."

"You go on ahead, I just…need some time alone."

"Oh…right. You take all the time you need," Robin nodded slowly, remembering the loss that Raven had to cope with now. As he headed off to help his friends, Raven walked over to the pile of broken armor and began sifting through it slowly. Out of the battered pieces of metal, she pulled out a small metallic piece of technology. A small black screen and miniature keyboard encased in a thin, metallic case – it was a computer notepad, the one she saw in her visions into Kronos' mind. She glanced around for a moment, before tucking the notepad into her cloak and then headed to join her friends in a much-deserved break.


	25. Epilogue: A Farewell to Friends

**Epilogue: A Farewell to Friends**

**"How's her condition Cyborg?"**

"Several sprains, minor fractures, and a minor concussion but aside from that she's in reasonable condition."

"And the others?"

"Raven's got a sprained knee and a few mild burns; Beast Boys has a bunch of bumps and bruises; Jacqueline's has a puncture wound through her upper abdomen that's not very serious; Tyrael has a few broken ribs and a slight concussion; Terubia has a large number of superficial lacerations from going through a pane of glass…um, am I missing anybody?"

Starfire's vision was still a bit blurry as she fully regained consciousness. As her eyes fluttered open at least, she found herself lying on a hospital bed in the Titan's Tower with a several wires and sensors attached to her body. Digital beeps and pings came from all directions as she slowly recalled the events that happened leading up to her current situation: the last thing she remembered was an explosion coming from Kronos and then she blacked out. Judging by the aching, pounding sensation at the back of her head suggested that she had hit her head against something when knocked back by the blast. Her vision was still a bit hazy but she could make out the blurry figures of Robin and Cyborg over her bed.

"Hey, Starfire's starting to come to," Cyborg directed Robin's attention to the stirring Tamaranean.

"Robin…" she murmured weakly.

"Take it easy Starfire. You got knocked around pretty badly," Robin said as he sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Did we win?"

"Yeah Starfire, we did. We couldn't have done it without what you did Starfire – you did a good job."

"But…my sister…" she whimpered softly, stifling a tear that was welling up in her eye. "Kronos…he…she's gone."

"Um, she looks fine to me," Robin said as he looked past Starfire to the next bed over. All the exhaustion and drowsy feelings that Starfire had been feeling moments ago vanished in an instant as she rolled over to see her sister in the hospital bed next to her. Covered with bandages and both arms in slings, Blackfire was in a weak, but stable condition.

"Sister!"

"Shh…wounded people trying to rest here," Blackfire muttered in response, not even opening her eyes as she rested.

"How…I mean I saw you…and then you stopped…I thought you were dead!"

"I was faking it," she answered in a very 'matter-of-factly' tone.

"Faking?" Starfire shouted in disbelief. "I thought you were dead. I felt so much sorrow and rage…why would you play with my emotions like that?"

"Because if you knew if I was alive, you'd be distracted," Blackfire said as she finally opened her eyes and looked over to her sister. "You'd be worried about my safety and Kronos would use that to his advantage. By thinking I was dead, you fought with more rage and ferocity than ever before. Plus, that idiot Kronos thought I was dead too…so he stopped paying attention to me, which Robin can attest to was one of the keys to victory."

"You were the one that threw me the sword," Robin realized, now being able to peg the voice to a face. It was Blackfire's voice that called out to him – he wondered how he didn't realize it at the time.

"You did good out there sis and that's what mattered. I'm not going to apologize for making you a little sad; I did what had to be done in order to win. That's what I do and you should know this by now. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep cause every inch of my body aches right now and talking to you just makes it worse." Blackfire let her head sink back in the pillow. Robin and Starfire weren't going to argue or carry on their conversation as they both respected Blackfire's wish for silence.

"We'll talk when you're feeling better," Robin said softly, smiling warmly to her.

* * *

"Raven? Are you in?" Beast Boy knocked lightly on his friend's door. He hadn't seen the reclusive young girl since the end of the fight, where she returned to the Tower quickly and remained in her room ever since. If it weren't for the hectic mess in tending to the injuries of the other Titans and their allies, the other Titans would've expressed more concern about their friend. However, the physical injuries came before emotional ones that Raven likely suffered from. "Come on Raven, I need to talk with you for a minute," Beast Boy insisted as he reached to knock upon the metal door once more. Just as his hand reached it though, the door opened slightly with Raven peering through the foot-wide opening in the door.

"What is it?" Raven asked, a bit impatiently.

"Um…you feeling okay Raven?"

"I'm fine."

"Your eyes a little red around the edges that's all…and your room looks worse than the city," Beast Boy answered, looking past Raven to see a few knocked over bookcases and a number of her other possessions strewed across the room.

"I'll be fine," she insisted again.

"I'm sorry about Napharak," Beast Boy said softly. Raven sighed softly as her eyes drifted downwards – despite what she claimed earlier, she had been in her room feeling horribly conflicted over the loss of Napharak.

"I don't know what to feel anymore…" Raven admitted quietly. "He lied to me. He tried to manipulate me. He used his former reputation and my past admiration to get close to me and I'm sure he would've tried to make me leave the rest of you. He tried to have my friends killed and he ordered the death of hundreds of innocent lives. I should hate him like any other monster but…I can't seem to."

"You looked up to him, it's hard to let that go."

"It was more than just that. Growing up…knowing that I was going to be this prophesized bringer of the apocalypse, I sometimes thought I could just…sacrifice myself so that Trigon couldn't use me as a portal. Every time though, I would always go back to his tales and I'd actually believe that there was a chance. I always had that feeling though…that he never intended on surviving this conflict. He acted just like he did before he went out against Kronos for the last time…"

"Before he…um, you know, he wanted me to give you this," Beast Boy said as he held out the wooden staff of the demon lord. Raven's door slowly opened as she stepped out with disbelief on her face. With a bit of reluctance, Raven accepted the gift from Beast Boy. She held it with one hand and ran her fingertips against the ancient, coarse gnarled shaft, still having trouble believing that she was holding the weapon of a warrior who stood up against her father and won so many years ago. It was easier to distance herself from the sadness she was feeling when all she needed to do was shut it out of her mind but now that there was a very predominant reminder sitting right in her hands, the bottled-up feelings started surfacing again. Trying to save face, she turned around and tried to hide the tears that streaked down her cheeks.

"Are…you crying Raven?"  
"N-no," Raven tried to deny the painfully obvious. "Please…I'd like to be alone right now."

"Alright then," Beast Boy sighed softly as he turned to leave.

"W-wait!" Raven blurted out, halting Beast Boy in his tracks. "You don't have to go actually."

"Sure thing," Beast Boy quickly turned back to face Raven, who still had her back turned to him. "You kept mentioning Napharak's tales. I don't suppose you still have those books do you?"

"You…want to know the story?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do actually read from time to time."

"They're somewhere in the um…mess," Raven said as she finally looked back to Beast Boy. "But…it's not written in English. You wouldn't be able to read it."

"Oh…" Beast Boy sighed, sounding a little disappointed at the news.

"I could translate it for you," Raven suggested, managing a weak smile. "If you've got the time to spare."

"Sounds like fun."

* * *

"It's been an honour fighting by your side, all of you," Robin said as he conversed with their three new friends just outside of the Titan's Tower. Though somewhat battered, Terubia, Jacqueline, and Tyrael were all prepared to head on their way. Accompanying Robin was Cyborg, who had a little parting gift for each of them. In his hand were a trio of their special communicators and held them out to them. "Take these. From now on you're all honourary Titans."

"Oooo, merci," Jacqueline smiled as she quickly helped herself to one of the communicators. "Does it get AM/FM?"

"It, too, has been a honour for me. If you ever need some help, my order and I will be more than willing to help," Tyrael added after taking a communicator. "I pray that our paths cross again in the future, hopefully under better circumstances."

"How does this thingie work anyways?" Terubia asked since she had no experience whatsoever with technology.

"So you're all going to be heading back home now, huh?"

"Actually no," Tyrael answered. "I've got another assignment to go to. There are reports of apparitions in a small southern African village they want me to investigate."

"There's nothing left for me back in Daluram so I'm taking up Cyborg's offer and I'm going to see what living on Earth is like," Terubia continued with an excited smile.

"I've always been looking for a reason to leave home and branch out. I zink zis is a prime opportunity to start making a name for myself on zis side of the Atlantic. Besides, from what I've heard ze villains here are a lot more fun to take down zan ze bland zugs back home."

"Well good-bye and good luck to each of you," Robin said with one final farewell. Each one had contributed greatly to their success against Kronos and it was good to see that despite all the hardship they went through, the Titans were able to come out of this ordeal with something positive.

* * *

"Clean-up crews are up their knees in debris as repairs to the damaged sections of the city are currently underway. Yesterday's 10-hour long battle with a villain known only as Kronos ended with a narrow victory for the Teen Titans and several of their allies. Amazingly, though there were numerous injuries, no fatalities have been reported. The fate of Kronos is still currently unknown and the Titans have refused to comment on the matter." Robin sighed lightly to himself as he continued watching one of the many news broadcast on the battle the day before. If the Titans had definitive answers, Robin would've given them and he didn't want to cause panic by telling them that Kronos was motivated by a desire to prevent some terrible disaster in the future. "In other news, Wayne Enterprises Olympus Project hit an unexpected delay when-" Robin shut off the television when he heard some footsteps echoing through the peaceful tower. It was late at night so everybody should've been asleep until Robin thought about it for more than five seconds and had a good guess as to who it was.

Taking an alternate route, Robin headed up to the roof at a casually pace. When he arrived, Blackfire was already there with a small duffle in her relatively good arm. Robin simply grunted to get Blackfire's attention, who didn't seem too surprised to see the Titan up there.

"Oh…uh, hi there. I thought you were still asleep."

"Leaving without even so much as saying good-bye. I wondered where Starfire got that habit from," Robin remarked as he walked over and leaned against the railing next to Blackfire.

She chuckled softly as she leaned back on the railing. "I didn't even say good-bye when I left Tamaran years ago. She simply woke up one day to find me gone. I just didn't want to have to deal with her – she wanted me to stay so badly."

"You don't have to leave Blackfire. I mean…where will you go?"

"I've always been a nomad Robin, even when I was kid. I never could stay in one spot for very long. I would always look to the horizon with the thought of seeing what's out there. There's a whole planet out there for me to experience. Who knows…maybe I'll find some friends and make my own little family like my sister."

"You've…certainly changed."

"Two near-death experiences might have something to do with that," Blackfire said before taking a moment to think the next few things over. "Back on Daluram, I seriously thought I was going to die in that cave. I was going to die and only one person would actually give two shits about it. Who knows what the future holds for me – whatever it is though, I'm not going to screw things up with trivialities and holding onto old grudges. I'm going to do something with my life…I'm going to prove to everybody back home that I'm not a total failure."

"Alright then. I'll tell Starfire you said good-bye, okay?"

"You take of her, you hear me? The only person allowed to mess with her emotions is me so if I hear a complaint about the way you've been teaching her, I'll be paying you a visit." Both smirked as Blackfire picked up her bag and hopped onto the other side of the railing. "Starfire's birthday is in six months, I'll be drop by and pay a visit then."

"I'm sure she'd be glad to see you when that day comes." Robin was prepared to turn in for the night when Blackfire spoke up again.

"Hey Robin," Blackfire said with a bit of a speculative tone in her voice. "Have you ever wondered…if we did the right thing today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kronos was trying to prevent some huge disaster, right? You don't think we may have just doomed humanity by stopping Kronos?"

"History isn't written in stone. His presence has already changed some things – you've made up with your sister, the Titans have several new allies, and now we know that there's a major disaster in the future involving us in some way. The future is in our hands now."

"I guess the only thing we can do is wait…and see what the future brings."

**The End**

**Last words from the Author:**

Wow. Can you believe it's actually finished? Part of me is still in disbelief. Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading _Plains of Daluram_ as much as I had writing it. Join Blackfire, the Titans, and more in the next installment of the Blackfire Trilogy, _Blackluck Angel_, which will be released hopefully around the June 10th weekend.


End file.
